The Search for a King
by evilregal-lp
Summary: The King of the Enchanted Forest has died, leaving Queen Regina to fend for herself among her ministers. Convinced the kingdom cannot survive without a King, they have decided to host the Royal Competitions. One prince from each of the five kingdoms will be required to compete against each other in three major competitions. The Prize? A Queen, and a Kingdom.
1. Chapter 1

"_There are eyes that have seen pain, love, and power. There are lips that have spoken kindness, evil, and magic. These are the eyes, and the lips of a Queen."_

**CHAPTER 1**

Regina sat motionless in her throne at the front of the Great Hall. Her dark brown eyes darted as words from angry mouths shot across the room. She could feel the sting of each word like a knife to her skin.

"We MUST have a King! There is no question!" A man shouted angrily to her left.

"But we HAVE a powerful Queen. What would a King do but cause ripples through our Kingdom?" Another shout from her right.

"He will provide stability, and strength against our enemies." Left.

"Then tell us, WHO will be King?" Right.

Regina stood from her velvet chair and the room grew hauntingly silent. Her gown fell to the floor and her naked feet took each step down the stairs following her shadow. The sun glared through the stain glass windows behind her, shining golden rays across the floor which reflected on the pool in the center of the room, dividing two sides of concrete seat, currently occupied by her counsel. The city was solemnly silent as the sun set on the Western boundaries of the Enchanted Kingdom.

Regina walked past the crowd of men catching the judgmental gaze of each one like a fly in a spider's web.

"My Queen?" The question was soft and hesitant, like a quick breeze through an opened window but hauntingly echoed from the walls. The Great Hall was something of splendor and stories of its golden structure had been told amongst many nations. The Queen stopped and gazed up at a painting on the opposite wall from her throne, appearing to ignore the question. The figure in the mural was a soldier, standing strong at attention, sword drawn and war flowing from his eyes. The armor reflected the scene of a blood red sun over a victorious battlefield. The figures familiar dark eyes infiltrated into her soul, causing her to turn away.

Regina turned to the minister closest to her right, and placed her hand gently on his shoulder. "My friend, do you know the story of The Great Warrior?" she asked as she pointed to the painting.

The minister swallowed hard, for he had learned of the story as a boy growing up in the fields of Baskor.

"My lady, the story is of a powerful warrior who conquered this land from many enemies. The land we now call our home, this Enchanted Kingdom, would never have been without this powerful leader."

"Very good Minister Glyre, that is correct." The Queen smiled lustfully at the minister and moved away from him to the other side of the room. "The Enchanted Kingdom." She started. "My father used to tell me stories as a child about how this Kingdom came to be. A brave soldier who could never be defeated on the battlefield swept through and conquered everything he could lay his eyes on. What a magnificent place, is it not?" The room remained silent as a ghost; she paused and caught her reflection in the motionless pool. "I find it funny that my father could talk of himself in such a way. I could still see the blood stains in his eyes, but he spoke so beautifully of it and I listened so naturally. So, I will ask you again." The Queen raised her voice and her head above the silence. "Do you KNOW the story of The Great Warrior?"

Puzzled looks came across their faces and whispers were exchanged between them, but no one dared answer. Her voice cracked through her whisper, "I do."

Suddenly her eyes immediately shot up as one man approached; his boots pounding at the beat of her heart.

"Graham. Why do you think we need a King?" She started at him abruptly, but he did not flinch. The scar stretching across the right side of his face was as immovable as his soul. She studied his large build as she approached him. He was much taller than her, and his armor only made him seem that much larger.

"My Queen," Graham's deep, rasped voice echoed through The Hall. "I believe this kingdom would be satisfied with the magnificence of a great Queen. No more, no less." His scar twitched as his body stood cemented in his stance before The Queen. Regina stopped in front of him, and eyed him entirely from head to toe. She examined the long scar and realized she couldn't remember what he looked like before.

When their eyes met once again she spoke, "Satisfied? What an interesting word. Almost like content, or settling with me. Is that what you're saying? That this Kingdom is content to settle with a Queen?" He eyed her as if they were the only two in the room. The other ministers began to fidget in their seats as the tension rose. Graham remained silent. "Gentlemen," she stated proudly, not taking her eyes off the two deep blue pools on Graham's face. "I have come to believe that this is what some of you believe." Her eyes moved away from Graham, and she pushed herself past him. She walked down the side of the pool, stopping just short of the stairs leading to her throne and turned to face the curious, condescending eyes of her ministers. "I believe some of you may not see me fit to wear this crown, or to sit on this throne, or to speak amongst your presence. You would not deny it. You don't see my ambition, nor do you recognize my wisdom. My mother raised me because she knew my future. She knew that one day I would be here, arguing with a lot of bumbling fools, and she knew… oh yes she knew that this Kingdom would be mine. This is what I was made for." Her voice darkened like the setting sun. The light in the room began to fade, the temperature dropping as Regina's rage grew even more torrent inside of her. "You have no idea what I am capable of. I have done more for this Kingdom than any of you cowards could even think. You sit here in your oversized bath robes, preaching to me about how I cannot run this kingdom." Her dress twirled as she paced the bottom of the stairs. "Give me one reason why you doubt me so?" She stopped and looked out waiting for an answer. Her shouts still hung in the air waiting to drop on any unsuspecting victim.

One brave minister stood from his seat and faced the Queen. "My lady, we do not doubt your wisdom, nor do we doubt your ambition. We are simply stating we do not feel you should be alone. We need guidance, we need counsel from someone who should we say, is more experienced." Regina never liked Haslew and his words only fanned her hatred.

"EXPERIENCE?" Regina's voiced echoed across the golden walls growing more intense with each sound. Haslew shook, and his eyes fluttered as her voice shattered the silence. Regina's eyes fell to her feet and a smile broke across her face. She gave a menacing laugh, almost as to call the evil spirits to her presence. Darkness completely fell over the hall as she smirked. The sun had long dipped below the horizon and the room became lit by the florescent moon rising in the east. She brought her head up and looked around at her company. She could smell their fear. Long, devilish shadows were cast above their heads, as silence set in once more.

Regina turned and took each step back up the stairs, deeper into the silence. It always amazed her how such an amazing place could still feel so empty. "You fear me." Her back was turned from the ministers and her words were soft. She turned and faced them. "You fear what I'm capable of, because I can smell it seeping from every single one of you." Her voice rose the more she spoke. "My father would be ashamed of what this Kingdom has become. I will see to it that it stands as it should. Higher than any other. And I will do that either with you," she took a step forward from her throne. "Or without you." There was a long silence that made the air heavy. "Go. See yourselves out of my presence. We shall speak again, but only when I feel well. Go home to your wives for they yearn for you."

The men hesitantly stood from their heavy chairs and made their way out of the hall, gossiping about what they had discussed in today's proceedings. "Graham." The Queen sat properly in her throne as she watched Graham separated himself from the group and push his way past the ministers, past the pool to her feet.

"Yes your majesty?" She sat silently studying his build once more waiting for the last of the ministers made their way out of the Great Hall. She had often wondered what he looked like under all that armor and weaponry.

She quickly pushed the thought away as she rose from her chair. She made her way in his direction, while he stood motionless as a statue at the base of the stairs.

"Please, Graham there is no need to stand on ceremony now. They have all gone." She pushed passed him and stood at the end of the pool in the center of the room. She made note of the reflection of the moon in the calm water. Graham's boots echoed through the chamber as he walked up and stood next to her. She didn't remember him being so tall. He must have been five inches taller than her. "I don't remember you being so tall, Graham."

"Is that why you have kept me here your majesty? To inquire as to my height?" He couldn't help but give her a playful grin. She looked up at him with childish eyes.

"What if I did? I would be hesitant to think you had anything better to do." Her eyes quickly turned serious and her face became heavy. She maintained his gaze until she forced herself to turn away. She turned and preceded to walk the edge of the pool. "No matter. To answer your question, no I did not ask you here to inquire as to your height. I asked you here because I'm surrounded by fools. Surrounded by old men, who can't even dress themselves properly." Her eyes dart up quickly as Graham moved along the opposite side of the pool, even with her. "Why am I not good enough for them? Have I not proven myself worthy of ruling this kingdom?" She watched his reflection move against the water. So smooth, she had to look away. She stopped and bent down to study the water in the pool. "It's frustrating to see my Kingdom, day after day, become hidden from the rest of the world. My father did not spend his life building this kingdom just so I could watch it wither away. His death haunts me every night, I can hardly sleep anymore. These… these incompetent bastards I am stuck with in this counsel are destroying this Kingdom. What do they know?"

Graham was taken aback, but did not show it in his expression. He eyed her carefully as she bent down and drew her finger in the water. The rippled pool distorted her reflection. The history they shared was buried deep in his heart, and he hid his true feelings.

This was not the first time she had called him out from the rest of the counsel. He often dreamed of these moments with Regina. He thought about what he would say, and how he would act. Each time he found himself here, however, he always did the same thing. He dug a deeper hole in his heart to shield both himself and her. "I do not believe you would want advice from a lonely warrior like myself Your Majesty."

"Oh don't be ridiculous Graham. Why would I ask you if I didn't see you fit?" Regina stood and regained her poise. She walked around the edge of the pool to Graham's side and looked up into his eyes trying to find a way inside him. She wanted to know how he ticked. What made him who he was? No doubt his past was to blame, but she could tell he was hiding something else.

"My Lady, if I could speak my mind?"

"You may." They walked properly down the edge of the pool, close enough to touch but both working to keep their bodies separated.

"I have heard from ministers, here and there, that the kingdom does in fact need a King." His voice became more serious and deeper. "If I may say so, I believe I do not deny I have those feelings as well." Regina stopped and her eyes fell to the floor. He noticed her abruptness and stepped in front of her to catch her gaze and lift her head to meet his. Her eyes locked on his and they stood motionless for a moment that felt like a lifetime for both of them. Regina soon becoming aware of the situation, brushed past him quickly making her way back up the stairs. She stood with her back to him, bracing herself on her throne

"Why?"

"Why what Your Majesty?" he asked knowingly.

"Ugh, don't make me explain myself Graham. Why do you think this kingdom needs a king?" Her grip tightened on the head of her chair, her knuckles turning white as she anticipated his answer. He moved silently up the stairs and stood behind her. Her skin rose as she felt his warmth overcome her.

"Regina," He whispered. "I don't think this kingdom needs a king. I think you need a king."


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey guys! I am amazed at the feedback I've gotten on this! I couldn't be more excited to keep posting more! **

**I just want to give you a heads up, i have written a lot of this ahead. So I've been going through and editing as I post. **

**Also I've set this up to have sort of a Stephen King feel. If you are familiar with him, it will jump around a little. Some chapters will be present, and some chapters will be past, and there won't be a specific timeline. I like stories like that, I think it adds a little mystery to things! **

**Thanks for everyone who has sent me feedback! I love to hear that you're enjoying it. We are just getting started :)**

**CHAPTER 2**

Regina's body rocked with the sway of her carriage, as it climbed through the mountains on the way to yet another dreaded town. For the last month, Regina has been traveling through her kingdom, forced by her ministers to share what they have decided would be the fate of the empty throne next to hers.

She stared off into the woods, watching the trees blur by her window. She imagined what her life may have become if she had never followed her mother to meet the King so many years ago. She had hated herself ever since that day. When he died, there was a tiny feeling inside of her that felt free, that felt like she could finally breathe, that maybe she would have an opportunity to be something greater than just an obedient wife.

The carriage leaped hard over a rock, causing Regina to brace the walls inside. She sighed heavily, rolling her eyes to the emptiness that surrounded her. _Why me?_

"Hey! Watch it you crazy rats. Didn't your parents teach you any manners?" An old man shook his fist in the air as a group of young boys pushed past him and his companion.

"Oh grandfather, they are just excited to see the Queen. We are all excited. I know I am. I wish I could be just like her someday. Grandfather, do you think I could be Queen?"

"Of course my darling, I think you can be whoever you want to be. Now hurry my sweet princess and go save us a place on the road. I want to get a good view."

The crowds grew by the minute as the time neared to the Queen's arrival in Gringhorst. Winter had long settled into the kingdom and this was the final stop on the Queen's New Year tour. People from all over traveled from miles away to get their glimpse of the Queen's entourage and by any luck even possibly see the Queen herself. Her black intricately detailed carriage pulled by black stallions was hard to miss when it arrived at anywhere in the Kingdom. Word had spread that The Queen was planning to give news to the Kingdom when she stopped at Gringhorst before her final journey back to her castle. Rumors had spread of possible news stories, but none fully truthful.

"There she is, the Queen is coming. The Queen is coming!" All at once the words began to spread throughout the crowd at the entrance to the village. The crowds squeezed closer to the road as her carriage rounded the bend. Graham, her head of security, led the entourage on his white stallion in full armor, and the Royal flag in hand. His presence was very much anticipated and gossiped about amongst the maidens in all the villages.

"Make way, Make way for the Queen!" Graham shouted as he passed through the center of the crowd. The crowd threw flowers and shouts of praise as the Queen rode by them.

"Grandfather, do you see her? Do you see her?" The little girl tugged on her grandfather's shirt as the carriage approached.

"Come little one, up you go." The grandfather hoisted her up on his shoulders. Her anxious blue eyes followed the carriage, carefully straining to see the Queen. The entourage came to a halt in front of a large wooden stage built by the city for this glorious occasion.

Graham demounted his horse and made his way to the carriage door. The crowd couldn't

contain its excitement anymore and as soon as Graham opened the door, the crowd went wild. Regina stepped from the carriage bracing her balance in Graham's outstretched hand before stepping into the snow covered ground. Her breath pierced the air as she smiled at the adorning crowd. Her smile greeted the faces of all the people and she waved graciously. Her dress was red as blood compared to the snow beneath her feet, and intricately detailed jewels fell down her back. She turned as Graham led her up the stairs to the stage in front of the roaring mass.

Children climbed on roofs and on top of hay trailers to try to see the Queen. Her beauty was rumored throughout all the kingdoms and she was considered the fairest of them all. She noticed a little girl on the shoulders of a man towards the middle of the crowd, and waved, smiling in her direction.

"Grandfather, Grandfather! Did you see, she waved at me, she waved at me!" The little girl enthusiastically waved back and smiled bigger than she ever thought she could.

Regina nodded at Graham, and he stepped forward to silence the crowd. He drew his sword from his belt and held it high in the air causing the crowd become immediately silent, bow in respect, and anxiously await to hear what the Queen had to say.

"On the day of the twentieth of this year, I hereby present Your Majesty the Queen!" Graham's booming voice could be heard throughout the entire village and sent shivers down Regina's back. He returned his blade to his belt and stepped back away from the center of the stage. The Queen stepped forward gracefully and gazed out at the crowd.

"My fellow citizens, I thank you for your gracious hospitality shown both to me and my men today as we end our long journey here at Gringhorst. Your efforts are truly appreciated and you will be awarded for your sacrifice. I have been traveling for quite some time now, visiting many villages around my kingdom. But none has shown me such love as you have today. You are truly noble people in my kingdom." Regina paused as applause roared through the crowd.

She smiled and then raised her hands slightly, which was greeted with silence from the crowd. "As I've traveled through these villages I've had a chance to speak with many people and hear their grievances'. I've heard anything from, 'my farm is in need of repair' to 'my horse is grave, may she have your blessing?'" A quiet laughter spreads through the crowd. "But one grievance in particular has greatly burdened my heart." She looks out at the crowd examining the faces of the people, so eager to hear what she had to say.

She could feel Graham's presence next to her and it brought her peace. "This grievance I have heard is simple; this kingdom is in need of a true King." The crowd breaks into gossiping whispers and confused shouts. "Yes, yes that is truly something that has weighed on my heart. Now, I have spoken with my closest ministers," her eyes dart towards Graham. "And I have made a decision on handling this grievance. I am calling for the Five Great Kingdoms to send their bravest Princes to my castle in the North. These princes will be entered into a series of tests, and only one will earn their right to be the next King of the Enchanted Kingdom." She paused and swallowed hard, hesitating her next few words. "And my husband." She stood up straighter as the crowd erupted into confused excitement. Graham flinched as the words tangled in his head. Regina raised her hand once more asking for silence.

The crowd settled itself and continued to listen intensely. "The decision has been made, and the invitations have been sent to the Five Kingdoms. I assure you I will make sure that the Prince that claims the thrown is suitable to become King. As always, I have the best interest of my people in mind when I make these decisions. Thank you for your understanding and hospitality. I will send word when matters have been settled. Good Day."

Regina let out a heavy sigh and the fog of her breath clouded her vision. She bowed her head and examined Graham's footprints in front of her. The snow powdered below her feet, leaving a light dusting at the bottom of her dress. She turned towards Graham, hesitating to continue.

"My lady, are you ready?" Graham spoke up, noticing her short hesitation. She nodded, and he escorted Regina back to her carriage as the crowds dispersed through the village. She could hear them whispering about her speech as she took her seat in her carriage. She sat back and readied herself for the journey back to the north. Graham mounted his horse and signaled to move forward. The horses jolted the carriage forward and Regina watched the snow begin to fall more heavily out her window. In two months' time, The Enchanted Kingdom will have its King.


	3. Chapter 3

**Alright, that last chapter was kind of short, so i figured I would go ahead and post this one. It's a little more fun.**

**This chapter is basically Graham and Regina time. Kiss?**

**Anyway, hope you enjoy!**

**CHAPTER 3**

"Minister Thafe, have we received acceptances from all the Five Kingdoms? Will they all be sending us their Princes?" Regina anxiously paced the Great Hall beneath the painting of the Great Warrior as she awaited the minister's answer.

"Yes your majesty, they have all accepted gracefully, and are due to arrive within the week."

Regina stopped pacing and leaned against her study table below the painting. "Good, Wonderful. Go then and begin getting everything prepared for their arrival. I want proper introductions for all Kingdoms and their families. We must make a good impression." She sighed and her gaze darted up quickly at the minister, still standing before her. "What are you waiting for? Go!" Thafe hesitated then quickly removed himself from the hall.

Regina sighed, but it did little to relieve her stress, sinking down into her chair at her desk Her nerves had been tested more times than she could count this week, and she begged herself to take a break, but knew she couldn't afford the lost time.

"You have much weighing on your mind my lady." Graham's slyness never ceased to amaze her. No matter how long she had known him, he still managed to catch her off her guard.

"Well aren't you the master of keen observation." Regina slurred as she buried her head in her hands. "I don't feel like playing games with you today Graham. Please dismiss yourself and make yourself useful." She sat up and saw him blankly staring at her from across her desk. She could tell he was hoping for a much warmer welcome to his presence.

"As you wish, Your Majesty." He bowed and moved smoothly back toward the entrance to the hall. She followed him with her eyes, watching how smooth his armored body moved through the light.

"Wait." Regina stood and leaned against the table. "Come back."

Graham released a quick smile before turning to face her.

Regina thought for a moment and made a quick decision. "Would you like to accompany me on my riding lesson this afternoon?" Regina walked to meet him as he stood near the entrance to the Hall.

"I would be happy to join you my lady." Graham smiled down at her as she approached.

"Very well then, Gerald please go and fetch my horse, and another for Sir Graham." She waved to a servant standing in the corner of the hall, near the door.

"Yes Your Majesty." The servant quickly turned from the room and headed down the long hallway.

"Well what are we waiting for? Shall we go?" Regina showed a childish smile and she held out her hand for Graham to take. "You may escort me to the stables."

"Of course Your Majesty, after you." Graham took her hand and led her through the towering golden doors which closed gently behind them.

Her hand was warm and soft in his and he couldn't help but become self-conscious of his own coarseness. He quickly pushed away his insecurities, which he had been so accustomed to doing, and continued to the stables with Regina, making small talk as they went about the upcoming events.

When they arrived at the stables, two horses were saddled and waiting for them. Regina approached her pure black steed and pulled and apple from the satchel hanging from the side of the saddle. She teased the apple at the horse's mouth before allowing it to bite it whole. Regina smiled and rubbed down the horse before mounting it with ease.

"I seem to have forgotten my snack back at the palace." Graham said teasingly. "I do say you spoil your horse much more than I." Graham laughed as he mounted his white horse and gave it a few light kicks.

"I treat my horse the way I treat my kingdom. I give and expect greatness. Simple really. I can't believe you've forgotten that lesson already Graham." She teased him back and gave him a half smile. "Let's see if you have forgotten how to ride." Regina kicked her horse, and it rushed off across the field behind the palace, Graham following close behind. Spring had come early, and Regina was grateful for the fair weather. Winter just seemed like a time that brought a lot of disappointment into her life.

It had been almost two months since she had been able to go out, because of the snow and her mandatory trip around the Kingdom. They rode across the rolling hills and pastures that encompassed her Kingdom. In the winter, while covered in a thick sheet of white, there is not much to see. The mountains in the distance were beautiful when they weren't hidden by low fog. Snow covered the ground for a better part of four months out of the year. The ice is beautiful if you like that sort of thing.

But now it was spring. The grass was greener than ever and reflected the rays from the high sun above their heads. The various arrays of flowers and fauna came and roamed the countryside. Few have seen the beauty the North has to offer. Some say if you breathe in the wind coming from the far mountains, it will completely cleanse your soul. This tale has spread among many towns, causing people to travel from across all lands to breathe in the fresh northern air.

As Regina and Graham rode further away from her palace, they crossed a white sea of sheep moving in unison on the far off hills. Sheep's wool was in season, and the Palace would be receiving its yearly supply within the next month.

Regina looked back at Graham who was following close behind. She smiled at him, kicking her horse causing it to lurch forward even faster. The wind blew through her hair, causing her long dark braid to whip behind her.

She came to a halt under a large oak tree atop a hill overlooking the entire valley below the mountains. Graham slowly came trotting up behind her.

"Beautiful isn't it?" Regina spoke breathlessly. She looked out over her Kingdom and admired it all.

"The most beautiful thing I've ever seen." Graham chimed in softly. Regina turned and noticed Graham staring at her. She smiled embarrassingly and turned back toward the valley. Hopping off her horse, she tied the reins to the large trunk of the tree. She lay down under the shade and closed her eyes, breathing in the cool evening air.

Graham dismounted his horse and made his way to the tree. He stopped short and looked down at Regina. Here he was again, the two of them, alone. She watched her chest rise and fall as she lay below his feet. His dreams have never given her justice. She was so beautiful. Her long black hair always braided and falling down her back. Her cheeks always the perfect shades of pink and spotted with a few freckles. He stared at her lips. He became jealous of every word that came out of her mouth.

Graham came out of his stare and moved to tie his horse to the tree. He sat next to Regina and looked out admiring the far off mountain still capped with the remaining winter's snow.

"Why don't you ever take that armor off? I feel like you always have it on. Honestly, what danger will we find out here?" Regina sat up and gave Graham a questionable look.

"One may never be too prepared to lay down his life for his Queen." Graham states properly as he was trained.

"Oh nonsense. You should be comfortable out here. Plus it is terribly hot. Please take some of it off, I promise I won't tell anyone." Regina made a cross with her fingers over her heart and smiled playfully at him.

"As you wish my lady." Graham stood up and walked to his horse. He shed his armor and laid it on the ground next to the tree. He resumed his position next to her, now only clothed only in his white long sleeve undershirt and black fitted pants. They sat in silence for some time, admiring the land, watching the sun fall across the sky.

"Do you remember when we met Graham?" Regina said as she let out a relieving sigh.

"Of course I do my lady, how could I forget." He smiled, keeping his gaze toward the mountains. "The Ogre Wars were in full swing. I was in my barracks awaiting orders to be taken out to the battlefield. It was my dream as a young lad to fight for my village. Naturally I enlisted very young. I couldn't have been more than 14 years." Graham paused as he reminisced that moment. "My heart was pumping, adrenaline surging through my body. Oh how I wanted to fight. It was in my blood. It's what I was made to do." He lay back in the grass and stared up at the outstretched branches of the oak tree. Regina chuckled and dropped her head back on her shoulders closing her eyes to the bright sun in her face.

"But then…" she spoke softly.

Graham smiled. "But then, a young maiden visited my barracks. I saw her approaching on her horse down the center of our camp. I was frozen by her beauty. She couldn't have been much older then I. As she approached I panicked and dropped my soup bowl all over the front of my uniform."

"You were a terrible mess when I first laid eyes on you." Regina laughed at the thought of the awkward boy. "I stopped in front of you while you scattered to try and hide your clumsiness. But unbeknownst to you, I saw you spill it. I got off my horse and approached you. I looked at that face and felt compassion. I could not imagine the life you must have had where you had so much desire to fight. You were so young. Your eyes were still shining, unaffected by the bloodshed of the battlefield. I turned to my guard and ordered him to get another bowl of soup. I took the bowl and turned to face you. And I said to you.."

"You said to me," Graham interrupted as he closed his eyes. "You said, 'I give and expect greatness. You soldier will become a great warrior'. You asked me my name. 'Graham Your Majesty!' my voice cracked I was very embarrassed." They both laughed at the memory. "You told me you would remember my name. They were such strong words coming from such a young woman. I never knew a woman could speak like you. I took the bowl hesitantly and bowed graciously of course. I watched you remount your horse and my eyes never faulted until you were out of my site." Graham sat up quickly and turned to Regina. She gave him a startled look.

He brought his hand up to her cheek and felt her warmth on his palm. She closed her eyes and rested her head in his hand.

"Regina." The words barely came across his lips, slowly, so he could taste every letter. She held his hand against her face and opened her eyes to meet his. She examined his scar, reaching up to caress it but he stopped her. He held her hand against his chest instead and she felt his heart racing.

"What are we doing?" Regina's breaths were heavy in her locked stare. His eyes have haunted her dreams since the first time they met. She couldn't look away, it's as if they had some magical pull she couldn't run from.

Graham moved closer, pulling Regina into him. He met her lips in the stillness of the evening breeze. It was like an electric wave pulsating through both of them. Regina longed for this for some time. Ever since she brought him to her castle as head of her security detail, she waited for this moment. After all, that's why she appointed him. She couldn't go a day without speaking with him, or spending time with him. His presence brought her a kind of peace she had never felt before. And at this moment, for the first time in a long time, she was happy.

Regina smiled as Graham released his grip on the back of her neck. Their eyes met and the setting sun reflected off Graham's deep blue eyes. Graham cleared his throat and sat back in the grass. Regina cast her gaze down at the ground and let out a small grin.

"Excuse my manners, my lady; I was in no right to do that." Graham fidgeted nervously rubbing his hand up and down his pant legs.

"Yeah, because I hated that." Regina teased him. He turned his head and eyed her from the corner of his vision. She got up and brushed the grass from her jacket. "Well, it's getting late; we must be getting back soon before rumors spread of your kidnapping me." Graham raised himself from under the tree and proceeded to re-apply his armor.

"Yes that would put me in quite an awkward position my lady." Graham grunted as he fit his chest plate over his head. They mounted their horses and galloped back across the plains to the palace. When they arrived at the stables, Thafe met them at the door.

"Your majesty, the court is in need of your presence. We need your approval on a few things before we can handle the final preparations for the arrival of the Kingdoms."

"Well that's my call I suppose." She said as she hopped off her horse. "Minister Thafe, please find my stable boy and tell him to water and brush my horse. I will need her looking very pristine for the ceremonies." She glanced up at Graham, still mounted on his horse.

"Thank you Sir Graham for protecting me while I rode today. I shall be in touch with you about your duties for the ceremonies in the coming days. Good day." She gave him another hidden childish look before turning and making her way up the hill to the palace. Graham watched her, straining to see her until she was out of his sight. He sighed and shook his head, then turned his horse on its heels back toward the village.


	4. Chapter 4

**A little Graham back story for your reading pleasure. **

**I'll be posting Ch. 5 as soon as I get it edited so we can keep the story moving!**

**I'm loving that everyone is loving this! Can't wait to get more posted :)**

**Thank yall!**

**Oh and just so you know: a little bit of violence. He is a soldier after all! **

**CHAPTER 4**

"Retreat! Get out of here! Go GO!"

His vision was blurry, and his head throbbed over the right side of his face. He reached up to his cheek and pulled away his blood coated hand. He expected himself to scream out in pain, but there was none. His body was in complete shock, his voice was too numb even if he did try to scream.

He tried getting himself to his feet but he couldn't move his legs. There was an odd heaviness to them, something he had never felt before. When he picked up his head to look, he saw he was pinned beneath his motionless horse. There was blood everywhere. Before he could completely focus, his vision went black and a small light pierced the darkness. He reached out to it, but it moved just out of his reach. He heard her voice, _'What is your name boy? What is your name? You will become a great warrior.'_ The voice faded away into the light. He wanted to follow it terribly; he wanted to see her face again.

"GRAHAM. GRAHAM!" He hesitated as he heard his name come from the darkness. Suddenly the light disappeared and he opened his eyes.

"Prague? Wha… what happened?" Graham's vision cleared as a soldier kneeled next to him trying to push the horse from his legs.

"It was an ambush!" Prague strained as he pushed on the horse. Bodies lay dead around them. "The Ogres, they came like dogs out of the trees. We can't stop them!" The soldier grunted as he strained to move the horse. "Help me push this damn thing off you, we have to get out of here now!" Graham sat up and pushed against his horse, finally releasing his legs and, taking Prague's hand, slowly pushed himself off the ground. "Come on, brace yourself on me, we must get back to the group."

His head felt like it had exploded and his right ear was ringing a high pitch irritating sound. Graham threw his arm over his companion and they weaved their way through the maze of fallen soldiers.

Graham's vision began to blur the further they walked, and he could hear a faint voice calling out to him. "Stay with me buddy, come on stay with me. We're going to make it. We are going to be…" He was gone before he could hear the last words.

When Graham opened his eyes, all he saw was a blinding brightness from his left eye. His right eye was dark and he could feel the bandage over his face. _'Am I dead?' _He raised his arm to his head and felt the bandage. Pain shot from his right eye and he yelled out. His voice echoed through the blinding white. Shadows approached him quickly, and he saw a figure standing over him.

"Sir Graham please, you have suffered a grave injury, do not move too quickly."

"Where am I?"

"You are at the Infirmary in the Northern Kingdom. You were ambushed, and the wounded were brought here." The doctor checked his bandages while he spoke.

"Where are my men, where are they?" Graham tried to sit up quickly and fell back in wrenching pain from his abdomen.

"Graham please, you must not move, or you will tear the stitches. Nurse! Come here I need your help." As the nurse rushed over Graham couldn't take the pain anymore, allowing his eyes to grow dim and fell back into the darkness.

The darkness was still surrounding him when he regained his consciousness. Even after his eye adjusted from the moonlight leaking through the doorway, it was hard for him to see anything around him. A woman in a white dress quickly walked past the end of his vision, stopping at a few beds down from him to check on a coughing patient.

Despite the pain, Graham pulled himself up from his pillow. The wrapping around his right eye had become a small patch since the last time he was awake. He sat for a moment, collecting his energy which had quickly been depleted from sitting up. His body only allowed him to take in small shallow breaths before it screamed in pain.

His feet hit the ground softly. He kept one hand on the edge of his bed as he took small steps toward the small walkway between the two rows of beds that decorated the large tent. From what he could tell, he was somewhere towards the middle of the tent.

The nurse that had passed by before, approached him, but instead of saying anything to him, she pushed past him like he wasn't even there. He turned in the direction she went, perplexed that she said nothing about him being out of bed. A soldier a few beds down caught his eye. _Prague?_

With as much strength as he could muster, he made his way to the soldier. He kept his hands on the ends of each bad he passed for support, feeling that every step he took was a step closer to passing out again. As he got closer, his eye widened and he grabbed a hold of the soldiers bed. He followed the body, examining its injuries.

"Graham." The voice was rasped and forced.

"Prague?" He stood perplexed by the soldier. Oddly enough Graham saw him smile and chuckle a little before his face twisted in pain.

"Graham. Look at you, up and walking. I figured you'd be stuck in bed for at least a week." Prague pushed himself up so he could see him better.

Graham swallowed hard, eyeing the length of the bed.

Prague noticing Graham's hesitation and cleared his throat awkwardly.

"What happened to you?" Graham finally said. "Your… legs."

"Ah, yes that." Prague straightened up. "Well, after I found you, we made it to the rest of the group, who were taking cover in one of the nearby tree lines. I left you with them, and decided to go back out to see if I could find my brother. He was in the front line where the initial ambush took place." He cleared his throat again, clearly struggling to re tell the story. Graham stood motionless, captivated by his fellow soldier.

"So I got over the hill and saw that the Ogres had moved off to the west, heading to edge of the Kingdom. I slid down the hill and started searching for him. I was trying to avoid getting close to the tree line, but I couldn't find him anywhere. There was just body after body, fallen on top of each other, and I couldn't find him. I wanted to give up, but then I saw him. He was leaning up against a tree just at the edge of the forest. I rushed over to him and shook him, but… he was gone."

Graham dropped his head in sorrow. He had only known Prague's brother a short time before they were called out to the field.

"He did what he thought was right. He made it so that you and I could get out. That was his sacrifice." Prague wiped a small drop of moisture that had accumulated under his eye.

"Your brother was a great man. He will forever be honored."

"Yeah I know. Anyways, I'm sure you're wondering about all of this." He motioned towards the area where his legs should have been. Graham didn't really want to ask, but he did want to know. "Basically, they were crushed. A stray Ogre who was lagging behind saw me, and I had no chance." He exaggeratingly nodded, looking around the room.

"Prague this war is going to end. I will see to it personally."

"Well I appreciate that Graham. Though I do have a small mission for you. If you would do me this one small favor. I heard there were sweets in the tent next door, and as you can see I am unable to get said sweets. And now that I see you walking about, I figured now would be a great time to ask." Graham threw his head back, laughing through the pain.

"Prague you never cease to amaze me with your spirit. Sit tight, I'll see what I can do."

Graham felt his head clear a bit as soon as he stepped out under the moon. The camp was quiet, despite the events of the previous days. All he could hear was an owl cawing in the nearby trees. He took a breath, deeper this time, his body beginning to feel better. This one eyed thing was going to take some getting used to for sure, but he didn't really have a choice.

When Graham approached the tent next to the Infirmary, before he walked in the door, he heard serious voices coming from inside. He froze. According to what he could hear, this was most definitely not the sweets tent. Prague must have been confused on which tent they were in. Graham started to walk away, but then hesitated when he heard her voice.

"How could you let this happen? They are Ogres, they are not that hard to miss!"

His stomach knotted up at the sound of it. He knew that voice, he had repeated it in his head every night since the first day he heard it. That had been almost 3 years ago, but he couldn't let her go. It was like she imprinted on him, without him even having a choice.

He slid around to the side of the tent where a plastic window flapped through the breeze. He stretched his neck to see who was all inside, but he couldn't see her. There was an officer standing in his line of sight. "Dammit."

His voice was much louder than he anticipated causing the officer to turn around. Graham ducked down out of sight, holding his breath.

"Captain, are you even listening to me?" The woman spoke again.

"Yes my lady."

Graham stood back up. He wanted to be in there, he wanted to see her face again. He needed to. He walked back to the front of the tent and looked around. There was group of guards coming his way. This was his only chance.

When the guards made it to the front of the tent he pushed himself in front of them.

"Watch out soldier." A huge man slammed into him, knocking him conveniently into the tent. The guard stepped inside grabbing Graham by the collar, hoisting him up, his feet barely touching the ground.

"What the hell is going on here?" The woman backed away from the table she was leaning on. Graham struggled to release himself from the guards grip but to no avail finally gave up. He moved his head as far as he could to see her, but it wasn't far enough.

"Put him down." The captain commanded. The guard let Graham go, and his body slammed to the ground. The pain was excruciating. "Why is this man not in the infirmary?" The captain questioned.

"I don't know sir, he just ran into us."

Graham turned, looking up from the dirt and saw her through his blurry vision. She was magnificent. She was beautiful, even more so than he remembered. Even through his one eye he saw enough for a lifetime.

"You're majesty?" He struggled the words and tried to raise himself. She looked at him with a blank stare. She had to remember him, why didn't she recognize him? The captain suddenly interrupted his view.

"How dare you speak to the Queen in such casual terms? Guard, escort this soldier back to the infirmary immediately." He felt his body become weightless. The guard had lifted him up over his soldier.

"Wait, wait your majesty please." The yell came out as more of a whisper. How could this be happening? For three years he had waited for this moment and she didn't even recognize him. She didn't even speak to him.

He felt his body begin to give out. The moon had ducked behind a cloud, darkening his limited vision. He felt like he was going to be sick.

"Take me back. I have to see her." He began squirming in the soldiers grasp. Pushing him away. The soldier threw him down on the ground, and stood over him.

"Hey you little piece of dirt, you better settle down before I have to do something I won't regret." The soldier glared down at him.

"Just please take me back. She would want to see me." Graham was startled when his comment brought hysterical laughing from the guards standing around him.

"The Queen? You think the Queen would want to see you? You must have hit your head a little harder than you think boy. What makes you so special?"

Graham pulled himself up from below the soldier's feet. He felt his body go numb to the world, his head throbbing from being knocked around. After staring at the tent for a few seconds, he turned away, completely broken. Three years of his life, wasted. She looked straight at him and didn't even know who he was. How could he be so stupid?

He took himself straight to his empty, cold bed. He laid down on his back, because it hurt less than the rest of his body. The ceiling stared back at him, eating at the only eye he had left. He finally closed it, drifting off into a dream he never wanted to come out of, no matter how good or bad. Anything was better than this moment in time. Anything.


	5. Chapter 5

**Alright! This chapter is kind of short, i didn't want to spend a lot of time introducing the other Princes. Their characters will develop as the story continues!**

**I've had some questions about whether this will be HuntingQueen, or SwanQueen. The best answer i can give right now is... a little bit of both! :)**

**I'm going to try to post one or two more tomorrow, but im trying not to get to ahead of my self! I want to just post everything I have all at once because I want you guys to read it, but i know i can't do that! lol**

**Anyways... Enjoy! 3**

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**CHAPTER 5**

The Queen hardly noticed the trumpets as they sounded the arrival of the Kingdoms. She sat blankly staring high above the gates guarding the entrance to her palace. People of all backgrounds crowded the entrance below to see who the Kingdoms had sent, and ultimately who the candidates were for their future King. Graham leaned into Regina and whispered in her ear.

"My lady, they are ready for you." Regina snapped out of her icy stare and slightly nodded in acknowledgment. She rose to her feet and took a few steps to the edge of her perch. Raising her right hand, she signaled to the guards to open the gates, allowing the families to enter.

She had dreaded this day since she decided against her will to go through with it. She could feel Graham's eyes dissecting her from behind, but she kept her gaze on the gate. The sun was high, and she could feel the heat melting her from the inside out. Her stomach turned as the gates slowly began to open. The crowds were in an uproar, waving flags and banners for the Prince they wanted to become King.

She gripped the edge of the wall with all her might holding back the tears in her eyes. Her knees felt weak under her weight but she stood strong. The announcer shouted for the first Kingdom.

"You're Majesty welcomes Prince Walter Lourde from the Western Graftorshore Kingdom, accompanied by his father, King Franke, mother, Queen Gweneviere, and court." The announcer paused as the parade moved through. Sir Lourde was known across much of the Western Kingdom for his bravery in the Ogre Wars. Though some say he was a coward and hid behind his captain. Now, his captain's dead, so who was to argue. Regina followed him with her eyes, examining his tall, thin body on top of his white horse. He looked arrogant for someone who could be such a coward. She rolled her eyes and stared down at her hands, still gripping the edge of the wall.

"You're Majesty Welcomes Prince Killian Jones from the Eastern Ocean's Fallbroke Kingdom, accompanied by his father, King Red Beard, mother, Queen Mariah and court." Regina's eyes caught a reflection of light coming from Sir Killian's right side. As he made his way past, she could see what looked like a hook sticking out of his right sleeve where his hand should have been. He seemed like one of those dark and mysterious types, but as she analyzed his reaction to the crowd, she was not impressed. Someone who spent their entire life on a boat wouldn't have a very good way with the people.

"You're Majesty Welcomes Sir Pepfor Frey from the Southern Hallibrew Kingdom, accompanied by his father, King Henry, mother, Queen Eliza and court." Regina lowered her hand to her side and motioned a wave for Graham to approach her. His boots scuffed the marble as he proudly stood next to his queen.

"What is this? This is what these kingdoms send me? Some skinny coward, a man with one hand, and look he isn't even riding a horse. They must not have been able to find one to support his weight. Ugh. Disgusting." Regina turned her back to the gates in disgust and lowered her head.

"My lady you must give them a chance. There is still two more kingdoms that have yet to arrive. Be patient. Maybe they will surprise you." Graham stepped forward and stretched his head over the edge of the wall, looking down at the crowds. He was never good with heights.

"Patience? I don't have time for patience. Why is it that I am the only one whose opinion nobody cares about? If it were up to me I would send them all away, I hate even thinking about marrying one of them." Regina turned back around and shielded her face from the blinding sun.

"Your opinion is the only one that matters in this Kingdom. You could send them all away with a wave of your hand."

"Please Graham don't mock me. You and I both know I can't do that. It would end me." Regina took a deep breath as she turned to watch the fourth entourage enter through the palace gate.

"You're Majesty Welcomes Sir Troy Leonardo from the Southern Desert's Kingdom of Barren, accompanied by his father, King Richard, mother, Queen Stephanie and court."

"I'm still not impressed. Who…" She paused rubbing her temples. "Who is left?" Regina paused her eyes squinted up at the sun as she thought of the remaining company. "Leave it up to Snow White to be late. How Charming. Graham, do you know who they are bringing? As far as I know they only have a daughter. Am I right?"

"Yes my Queen, they have a daughter. But I have been given no rumor as to who they have chosen to represent them. With them, it could be anyone."

Regina's nerves were on pins and needles, ready to bust at any moment. She paced in front of her throne, the sun still beating down on her as they waited for the Charming's to arrive. She cursed them in her head, always late, always wasting time. She still couldn't believe how they were able to run a Kingdom.

Suddenly the horns sounded for their arrival. Regina forced herself to stop pacing and stood back next to Graham at the edge of the wall. _Finally._

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**Hmm who could Snow and Charming have chosen?!**


	6. Chapter 6

**So that last episode right now? Whoa. I can't wait for the finale. Hopefully Emma won't screw things up again. (spoiler) Gaw why did she kiss him?! :X**

**Alright, i figured after that episode i would post another chapter. Thank you everyone who has reviewed! I'm loving your comments, they make this all worth it! This is turning into a huge project, so I hope everyone is ready! **

**Enjoy! :)**

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**CHAPTER 6**

"Who goes there?" A voice shouted from high above the gate.

"It is I, Sir Reginald from the Enchanted Kingdom. I have a letter from Queen Regina sent for King Charming and Queen Snow White. It is urgent!" The gates shook as the hinges rotated and the doors opened. Reginald kicked his horse and raced up to the palace doors. He entered the Hall where the King and Queen awaited his arrival. King Charming arose from his throne and met Reginald as he hustled in.

"Sir Reginald welcome to my palace. What news comes from the Enchanted Kingdom?" Reginald bowed to the King before proceeding to read the letter that was curled up in his hand.

"Your majesties the King Charming, and Queen Snow White, in three weeks' time, Queen Regina requests your presence at her palace. She has requested you bring your finest prince, for he will be competing in a series of tests against the other kingdoms in the realm. The winner of these tests will be awarded the hand of the Queen in marriage, and crowned the new King of the Enchanted Kingdom."

Reginald rolled the parchment back up and handed it to one of the servants standing at attention next to him.

Snow White heaved herself up from her thrown, "Sir Reginald, we don't have a Prince. I'm sure yourself and the Queen know that fully well. Who are we supposed to send then?"

"Snow, please, calm down. I don't feel the intention for his visit was to insult our family." Charming calmly walked back to Snow and took her hand. "We will find a suitable Knight to send to her. We will send one of our bravest. Lancelot would be happy to accept such a gracious invitation." Charming looked into Snow's eyes and gave her a reassuring smile. He then turned his attention back to Reginald. "Thank you Sir Reginald, we will be sure to be there promptly. Please send the Queen our acceptance."

"As you wish your Majesty." Reginald bowed once more and showed himself out of the palace hall.

"Charming what are we going to do?" Snow sat back down on her thrown and threw her head into her hands.

"What's going on?" The girl who spoke pulled her long blonde curls up in a tie as she entered through the side door and emerged from the shadows walking up to the steps below her parents thrones. "Mother why are you upset?"

Charming calmly smiled and walked down to the girl putting a hand on her shoulder, and pulling her close into a hug. "Emma, the Queen has invited us to her palace in the Enchanted Kingdom." He stole a worried look back at Snow.

"So what's the problem? That's good right that we are asked to go see the queen?" Emma studied her father's face as he looked down at his boots, then back up at her. She eyed him curiously. "Father?"

He sighed. "The Queen has requested we bring a Prince to represent us and go through a series of tests. Each Prince will compete, and the last one standing will become the new King of the Enchanted Kingdom." Charming released his grip on Emma's shoulders and paced the bottom of the stairs, unable to hide his obvious disdain.

Emma scoffed "Yeah but we don't have…" Her face dropped immediately at the realization of what her parents were telling her. "We don't have a Prince here." She says with more force. "Father what is this supposed to mean. Who are we supposed to send?" Her voice was short as she stared at her parents impatiently waiting for a response

"Emma we don't know. Your father mentioned Lancelot but we would have to send word out to the Eastern edge where he is meeting with captains of our army stationed in that region. I don't think he can make it back in time for the ceremonies." Snow sat back in her chair rubbing her temples.

Silence fell, and the footsteps of Charming echoed through the hall. Emma stood there, racking her brain for any possible answer to their predicament. She looked down at her sword fastened to her belt. Could she do it? Why not. She was just as capable as any Prince, if not more capable to pass any test that was thrown at her. "What about me?"

The words reflected off both Snow and Charming like an arrow on a rock wall. Charming continued to pace, biting his fingers, and Snow leaned her head back on her throne, obviously unaware of their daughter's remark.

Emma bucked up and this time and spoke with greater authority, "Father, what about me?" Her voice bounced off of every wall magnifying the words. She was startled at the strength of her own voice. Charming froze and turned around to face Emma. His face was distorted in confusion. Snow peaked out from under her hand and rose from her seat. Together they approached Emma slowly with equal amounts of confusion pouring from their eyes.

"Emma what are you saying?" Charming grabbed Emma's shoulders and forcefully turned her towards them. "You're a Princess. The Queen specifically asked for a Prince. Obviously you can't become a King because you are a woman. How do you possibly think that could work?"

Emma looked at her father, and then at her mother, then down to the floor, hiding how much her father's words stung deep down in her soul. Snow was impatiently waiting for an explanation.

"Emma your father asked you a question."

Emma pulled herself from her father's grip. "Why, why can't I do it? I am just as capable as any Knight in these Kingdoms. I can hold my own in a battle with any of our knights. I represent this kingdom. Send me. I am your best choice!"

Emma stood back bracing herself for the reactions from her parents. Charming and Snow looked at each other and then back at Emma. In almost unison, "Absolutely not."

Emma was taken aback, her shoulders dropping low. She heaved a heavy sigh and looked down at the ground.

Charming approached her. "Look, Emma, it's not that we don't think you are capable. Wasn't it just yesterday you beat Sir Thomas in a sword fight? And he is one of our best swordsman. You are as capable as any. But we just… can't send you. The Queen is looking for a King, she is looking to marry."

Emma sighed again and buried her head into her father's shoulder.

"I just want to do something for this Kingdom. I feel like all I do around here is give orders and run around in dresses. I never get to represent the family. I hate being cooped up in this palace. I want to go out, I want to see the Kingdom. Please let me do this Father." She frowned, looking up into her father's blue eyes. He was so strong. She remembered when her mother told tales of his bravery when she was a child. She always looked up to him, and wanted to be as strong as him one day. He cupped her cheek with his rough, strong hand and sighed.

"Emma, I'm sorry. You are going to be Queen of our realm someday. We can't jeopardize that with some silly games. Your mother will agree with me that we just can't risk your life for this." Charming reached out for Snow's support, and she took his hand.

"Emma, sweetheart we love you. All we want is for you to be happy. But this quest, these tests, are just not something that we can allow you to do. Our finally answer is no."

Emma fought the tears as she looked up at her parents. She could feel the anger building up in her core and rising to her head. She couldn't let them stand in her way of leaving this place. If they won't let her try, she will find another way. She has to find another way.

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**Hmmmm... what will Emma do?! :D**

**P.S: sorry for the username change! it's still me, i just had a random urge to change it to match my other sites! Thanks.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Are you guys loving all this news about the finale? Where could they be going? Was that Graham's wolf? Will Emma see Regina as the Evil Queen? Does Hook have a sword fight with himself? So many questions! All i got to say is it better be good!**

**Anyways, back to this. The feedback is phenomenal! I love you guys! I hope you love reading this as much as i love writing it. Get ready for some back stories coming your way. You may hate them by the time this is done, but they answer so many questions!**

**Since this chapter is short, and so is the next one, Ch.8 will be coming very soon.**

**Enjoy!**

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**CHAPTER 7**

"Your Majesty welcomes Sir Conner Rowland from the Kingdom of Grasien in the Southern Great Region, accompanied by King Charming, Queen Snow White and court."

Regina eyed the mystery knight carefully inspecting his size. He seemed rather small for someone of his position, and she wondered how much money his family had to give to the royal family to be chosen for this. She watched him interact with the crowd, seemingly more experienced in that trade than the other Princes, which she found odd since he clearly wasn't a Prince. Despite his confidence and normal stature, Regina felt sick to her stomach. To her, he was just another piece to the unsolvable puzzle of her entire life.

She scoffed and turned to her throne.

The announcer's voice boomed once more, striking an angry chord in Regina. "I do hereby welcome one and all to the Royal Competition." She couldn't take any more of this embarrassment. If this is what her council really wanted then she was going to do everything in her power to make it difficult. She slammed her fist down on her throne and forcefully dismissed herself from the tower, pushing herself past the guards at the entrance to the stairs. She thought she heard Graham call after her, but she didn't care. She needed to get away from this place before she did something she might regret.

She hurried off to her room, where she kept all her secrets from the world around her. She slammed the door behind her and threw herself on her bed. _What have I done? Why did I agree to this? A bunch of filthy pigs competing for my throne. What have I done? _

She sat up when she heard a knock at the door.

"Go away!" The knocks came again, louder this time, and she sighed in frustration. She stood and made her way to the door. "This better be an emergency or I will have you hung… Graham? What are you doing here?" Her surprise quickly turned to annoyance. "And why aren't you doing your job somewhere else?" She eyed him cautiously as he stood at attention in the opening of the door.

"I am your head of security you majesty. When you go running off to God knows where, it makes it especially hard to do just that." His voice sounded angry, and she was confused by it.

"Well you see that I'm here, and I'm not going anywhere. So, GO! Go guard the royal roses or something, I don't care. I just want to be alone." Her face grew red, as the anger surged inside her. She wanted with all her might, to slam the door in his face, but she refrained. Part of her didn't want him to leave, and part of her wanted him to wrap himself around her in a blanket of protection forever, and part of her just wanted to disappear. But she knew none of those options were plausible at this moment.

Graham dropped his hands to his side, taking the blow. "As you wish your majesty." She heaved the door shut as soon as he dismissed himself down the hall. She felt an overwhelming feeling of loneliness as soon as the door shut. There was a hollowness inside her that ate at her every being. After all this time, after her mother, after the King, there was always someone else trying to control her life. Someone to tell her where she should, and shouldn't be. Someone to tell her what she should and shouldn't wear. Someone to tell her who she should, and shouldn't marry. All for everyone else's benefit. All she wanted was to be able to do something for herself, to be with who she wanted.

Regina leaned against the back of the door and fell to the floor. She couldn't fight the tears any longer. Why was she acting like this? Why couldn't she just accept what was right in front of her face? For a moment, there seemed to be no happiness at all in her life. Everything she cared for was slowly drifting away from her, and she was unconsciously pushing it farther and farther away. She didn't want to go back to the life she had when she was married to the King. She refused to let that happen.

She didn't know how much time had passed when she felt a soft knock on the door behind her. "Graham I already told you to go away."

"It's me." Regina recognized Isabela's voice through the wood. With all her energy, Regina pulled herself off the ground. She wiped her face, and cracked open the door.

"What?" She snapped. Isabela stood there staring at her, and Regina knew what she wanted. "Look I don't want to talk right now."

"You say that, but I know you. Graham is worried, he told me to come check on you. Please let me in." Isabela was motionless, and Regina knew it was useless to argue, seeing as she would never leave if she didn't let her in.

Regina opened the door, turning her back on Isabela as she walked in, closing the door behind her.

"They…" Regina started but she couldn't find the words.

"Stop." Isabela demanded. Regina looked at her confused by her friend's sudden seriousness. "Regina, I know that you hate this. I know that you feel betrayed by all those people out there. I just want to tell you, no matter what happens in the coming weeks, no matter who wins these stupid competitions, I want you to know, that you are loved."

Regina looked up through her blurry eyes, confused.

"Isabela I know you…"

"No." Isabela interrupted her. Regina could see she was holding back her tears. "I don't mean me." She nervously brushed her hand through her hair.

"Isabela what are you talking about?" Regina stared at her friend for any answers, but couldn't find any. Isabela twitched nervously, acting like she had said something that she wasn't supposed too. She hesitated, then headed for the door.

"Isabela?"

"Just… remember what I said." She opened the door and slid through before Regina could reach her.

Regina was left, unable to process what just happened. Graham, then Isabela, and what the hell did she mean by her being loved? Her head throbbed at the pressure, and she laid back on her bed. She wanted to find a way to make this day end without starting a new one, figuring tomorrow would bring even more pain.


	8. Chapter 8

**Well this one is was up faster than I thought. I knew it was short.**

**Just a little Regina/Cora action to get the ball rolling on Regina's back story! **

**Enjoy!**

**CHAPTER 8**

"Mother why must you insist I meet the King? Were we even invited to the palace or did you just invite us yourself. I'm not sure the King would appreciate us showing up at his gate shouting 'please sir let us in!' Honestly mother." Regina strained to catch her last bit of hair up in her braid. She could care less about meeting the King. What had he ever done for her?

"Regina, stop. We are meeting the King and that's the end of it. If you don't mind your tongue I will make you walk to the Northern Kingdom alone." Regina rolled her eyes at her mother and the reflection her mirror.

Regina stood and turned to her mother. "Yes because the King would love to see us covered in mud and forest when we show up for dinner." Cora marched over to Regina and with a swift motion of her hand left Regina bent over with a burning cheek. Regina's eyes widened as a look of terror crept onto her face. She reached up to her face to ease the pain and hide the tears.

Cora stared down at her daughter menacingly. "How dare you speak to me this way? I have given up everything for you. I have worked my entire life to get us where we are today and now what? I have a spoiled daughter who doesn't appreciate the life I have given her. Do you want to end up like your father? Honestly Regina, please. If you would wake up from that school girl world you are living in, you could realize your potential. You could be Queen, of the Northern Enchanted Kingdom. How many other girls do you think could say that?" Regina's eyes glistened as another tear fell down her cheek. She could feel the burning, but she breathed heavily and tried to hide her pain. "I just want you to be happy. This opportunity only comes once. It is my job to make sure you take it."

"But what if I don't want this life? Mother I want to be free, I want to go and travel all the lands and see things few people get to see. Why isn't that life good enough for you?" Regina pleaded. Her mother would never understand her, and Regina often wondered why she even tried to argue about anything with her anymore. It always ended the same way, with her on the losing end.

"Oh Regina please not this again." Cora waved the words away as if they weren't even said. "I didn't work this hard so that you could go off and live like a wild animal." Cora stepped behind Regina and began lacing up her dress. "You will realize someday that I did this all for you. You will thank me one day." Regina examined herself in the mirror as her mother tightened her dress, pulling the strings desperately tight, pushing the rest of Regina's air out of her lungs. The redness on her cheek was bright and she couldn't help but stare at it. Suddenly her mother's face interrupted her reflection when Cora stepped in front of Regina and brought her hand to the redness of her face. Regina flinched and turned her head, bracing herself for another blow only to feel the gentle caress of her mother's cool fingers on her cheek.

"Regina, I love you." It sounded sincere. But Regina knew deep down, her mother had no intention of actually loving her.

Before Regina could speak a servant entered the room. "Pardon your majesties, but your carriage has arrived."

"Thank you Lilly, we shall be there in just a moment." Cora gave a wave of her hand and the servant immediately retreated back behind the large wooden doors. "Now my dear, put a smile on that beautiful face. We have a King to woe." Cora pushed past Regina and disappeared behind the doors.

Regina looked down at her shaking hands and squeezed them together trying to hold back more tears. She looked up to her mirror hoping to find some answer secretly hidden from her sight. She thought of her future and of what her life would be like if she followed along with her mother's plan. She didn't want to be Queen. She had seen what that kind of power could do to a person. Her mother was once a Queen, and now she was just an angry woman, out to get everything she thought she deserved. Regina didn't want that life, she wanted to be her own person, outside of the locked castle door, and stone walls, and hoards of people falling at her feet.

She realized she hadn't smiled in a long time, and she almost couldn't remember the feeling. Her eyes moved up and down her reflection and she could feel it disappearing. Like she was slowly losing herself, or losing the part of herself that could have been. She reached out to save it, trying to hold it back, but she was startled by another knock at her door.

"My lady, your carriage. Your mother is becoming impatient." Lilly popped her head through the doors.

"I'm coming, thank you." She took a deep breath and straightens up. There was no running from this. It was time to woe a King.


	9. Chapter 9

**The Finale is TOMORROW! Are yall excited?! I am!**

**So i ended up combining 2 chapters for this one, because there just wasn't enough to make 2 separate ones, and it will give yall a little more to hold on to until the next ones! :)  
**

**Couple of back stories coming your way after this. Then we can get into some competitions! Cool?**

**Enjoy! :)**

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**CHAPTER 9**

Regina awoke from her light sleep. She had so much weighing on her mind that even her dreams didn't feel like dreams, but felt more like a walk through her past, managing to open every door she tried so hard to close. She couldn't get Graham's face out of her head. His eyes haunted her dreams, and she could still taste his kiss. She brought her hand to her lips and smiled remembering the feeling. Suddenly someone knocked at the door and jolted her from her daydreaming. She pushed her bed spread away and tied her robe around her waist.

"Coming!" She jogged to the door and cracked it open. She saw Graham with his tall figure at the entrance to her room. She opened the door wider and stepped aside inviting him in, but he did not enter. "Graham, what are you doing here?" She moved back into her doorway awkwardly, quickly realizing Graham had no intention of entering.

"The Royal Families are awaiting word for today's activities your majesty." Graham stood motionless, trying to avoid eye contact with Regina, making sure to stare straight past her. She soon felt very ashamed of herself. _He still hasn't forgiven me. _

She moved through the threshold of the door closing the distance between them and crossed her arms self-consciously. She fumbled over her words when she spoke.

"Ugh Thafe should ha… have today's plans." She brushed her hair from her face and looked into Graham's eyes. They looked so hollow and had lost their luster. He shifted his stare towards her but it was blank and lifeless. "Yes you need to speak to Thafe. He should be in the… uh… in the dining hall preparing breakfast, you will find him there."

"Thank you Your Majesty." Graham formally bowed and turned to his quest to find Thafe.

"Graham…" Regina's voice cracked and she took a step out of her door and reached for his arm.

He kept his back to her and spoke. "Yes my lady." He wouldn't even turn around to face her. She let go of his arm and crossed her arms back across her stomach. She looked down at her bare feet, suddenly unable to say what she wanted. Unable to say she was sorry. Graham began to turn around but before she could look at his face again, she darted back into her room and shut the door. She listened to his boots march down the hall, and sighed when she could no longer hear him. _What have I done?_

She wiped a tear from her face and took a deep breath that, for the meantime, seemed to suppress her emotions. Now is not the time to let her emotions run wild and sulk in her self-loathing. She is the Queen after all. She went to her closet and opened it up. She must find a dress for today's activities.

"Guard!" She called from her dressing room.

"Yes your majesty?" A tall dark clothed man stepped through her door standing at attention in the opening.

"Please fetch me Isabela. I don't care what she is doing, tell her I need her." Regina did not turn to address the guard, as she bit her lip eyeing her many dresses.

"As you wish." The guard sunk back out into the hallway shutting the door as he went.

Isabela came through the door a short while later and bowed. "Yes your majesty."

"Come, I need your help picking out a dress. I need to impress today." Regina turned around, placing her hand on her hip. Isabela stood there for a moment wondering why she needed her help for something so seemingly unimportant. "Well what are you waiting for? Come help me." She smiled at Isabela playfully, and waved her over to the closet.

Isabela smiled and enthusiastically hopped over to meet Regina. "Yes your majesty!" Regina laughed as her and Isabela tried on almost all of her dresses. They went through probably hundreds before one finally struck a chord with both women.

"My lady you look gorgeous. No man will be able to resist your beauty." Isabela stood back as Regina examined herself in her mirror. Her gown stretched to the floor, and was tight around her body, the red velvet touching every inch of her skin.

"That's the idea. Go fetch my emerald necklace from my cabinet in my room." Isabela did as she was told.

Regina closed her eyes and brushed her hands down her waist, feeling the deep red material. Suddenly she felt another hand on top of hers. It was large and rough and the warmth from the body grew with her curiousness. She guided the hand across her waist and fell back into the heavy body. She didn't know what was happening, but she didn't question it. She kept her eyes shut, and felt lips on her neck. She leaned into them and pulled them closer. She heard a whisper echo from the body. _'As you wish Your Majesty.'_ The voice was deep and she felt her chest race as it split in two, her skin crawling with anticipation. She knew that voice, and it echoed through her veins growing more intense with every beat of her heart until she couldn't stand the ache. Her eyes shot open, and she was left alone staring at her reflection in the mirror. The feeling of his touch lingered as her breath fogged the mirror, standing paralyzed by her sudden dream. Isabela returned with a necklace for the Queen's vanity drawer.

"Your majesty, is everything okay?" Isabela sounded concerned.

Regina blinked and cleared her throat, and smiled as she turned around. "Yes sweetheart thank you." She took the necklace and placed it around her neck. Isabela fastened the latch and smoothed out the last wrinkled in the dress. It was time to see what these so called Princes had to offer her.

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The feast in The Great Hall was even more impressive than Regina had imagined. Every kind of meat you could kill in the Kingdom somehow fit on the long table stretching across the room in front of her. Despite the meal's lavish detail, her attention was not on the table or the families surrounding it. Her attention was drawn to the wall in front of her at the opposite end of the table, drifting up above the flames of the fireplace into the savage black eyes staring back at her. They pierced her soul, judging her every thought, her every emotion, sending them into damnation. She fought the inner demons and stared back, sending her own evils.

She focused on the chest armor which depicted the reflection of a battle scene from the early years of the Ogre Wars. Like any other painting of the battle, there were many brave men slaying giant beastly Ogres. The detail always sprung her curiosity. Even from her side of the hall she could make out every detail of the soldiers. Their barred teeth underneath steel helmets that came down the bridge of their noses gave off a demonic picture. She squinted and could make out the blood dripping from their swords. She closed her eyes shutting out the image, and instead imagined the hills beyond the walls of her palace, beyond the acres she roamed on horseback. She truly dreamed of those places and where they could take her if she could ever escape these horrid stone walls.

Her roaming thought's suddenly made their way to Graham. She opened her eyes, and darted around the room until they locked on him standing on the other side of the table. He seemed like just a dark hooded figure standing watch over the room, not the man she knew he is, or was. She thought of the way she spoke to him the day before, and worried that she may have gone too far this time. _He deserved it for not doing his job, right? _He was doing his job, because he was protecting her, because he came after her. Which is what he does best. He was there for her. Which is where he has been since she first met him. She stared at his motionless body and it drove her crazy not being able to know what he was thinking. Her eyes began wondering around the table observing the hoard of strangers that stretched before her.

Her expression quickly turned sour as her vision wondered around the table at each of the Princes. She watched Prince Lourde, who seemed to be reenacting one of his great heroic battles, stand up and flail his arms around like a child. There was no doubt he was exaggerating every detail he could lie about. A few chairs down, she could hardly recognize the face beyond the stack of meat in front of Prince Frey, who probably ate more than her prize steed. She was convinced he wouldn't make it past the first round.

Suddenly she caught a twinkle out of the corner of her eye and turned to see Prince Jones staring at her with seductive eyes. He smirked at her, no doubt proud for gaining her attention, and twirled his hook, trying to win her over with his distasteful charm. She couldn't deny he was devilishly attractive, but his lack of social skills and his apparent over confidence in himself proved she wouldn't even waste a minute on him. A few seats down, hardly noticeable due to his lack of any emotion or life at all, was Prince Leonardo. She played with his name around in her head. _Leonardo_. It was a good, strong name. However the personality of his name was more than he himself was ever going to be able to muster up. She eyed him closely, looking for any sign of anything interesting. But nothing. He ate, and drank, and that was all. She wondered if he was a mute, since she had never heard him talk before.

She looked back at Graham who hadn't moved since the beginning of dinner. She wished with all her heart she could get up to him and just apologize for how she spoke to him today. She felt so distracted from her company, and the competition that she forced herself to refrain from doing any such thing at the moment.

Her eyes finally fell on the last knight who was sitting just a few chairs down from her separated by Charming and Snow. Rowland. She knew she couldn't really call him a Prince, because, well, he wasn't. He was just a measly knight from their Kingdom, but he did seem like the only normal one in the whole group. He carried on conversation, ate like he had been in public before, and seemed completely comfortable at the table. She still thought he was rather small, but he was at least a few inches taller than her. She was intrigued by him, and she wanted to know more about him. She tried to just watch him, but she couldn't contain her silence any longer.

"King Charming." She spoke directly, and the table silenced immediately. Prince Lourde was in mid swing when her voice echoed. He practically tripped himself trying to get back to his chair. Prince Frey stopped mid chew and swallowed hard, and wiped his face with his dirty napkin. Still nothing from Prince Leonardo. She smiled and sat forward in her chair leaning her elbows on the table. "Tell me Charming, how is your daughter? Emma is it? I'm terribly sorry she wasn't able to accompany you."

"I'm sorry too. She was terribly ill when we left, the doctor's wouldn't even let us in her room. I know she would have wanted to come. This magnificent meal is something no person in all the realm could stay away from. But my wife and I are grateful to be here to represent our Kingdom. And we graciously thank you for your lovely hospitality." Charming took Snow's hand and smiled at her. He could tell she was nervous.

"Well I do pray for her wellness." She paused and smiled. She looked over at Rowland and spoke. "I'm interested to know about your knight. Sir Rowland correct?" Regina eyed the knight who she could tell was trying to avoid her eyes, but failing. The entire table's attention was immediately direct toward Rowland. When Rowland didn't speak, Regina broke the awkward silence, "He does seem awfully shy." She teased, and the table broke into a short laughter. Charming smirked and played along, recovering quickly from the joke.

"Prince Rowland proves his skills on the battlefield. He has little need to convince anyone in such a gathering. He is my most skilled warrior." Charming heavily patted Rowland on the back and he gave off a slight smile nodding in Regina's direction. Regina noticed Rowland adjust himself in his seat, sitting up straighter, no doubt his confidence growing from the compliment.

"Tell me Sir Rowland, what skills do you possess that you feel would give you an advantage above these other fine gentlemen? I assure you it takes more than skill on the battlefield to be a well-respected King." Regina waited and analyzed Rowland before he spoke.

Prince Lourde interrupted with a laugh. "Clearly his size couldn't be an advantage. I could smash him with the handle of my sword." Prince Lourde sat back in his chair and crossed his arms, convinced he had proven his sly tongue. The table roared with laughter. The Queen however did not find him amusing.

"I don't believe I asked your opinion Sir Lourde. I find it hard to believe you even know where to find your sword, let alone use it." Regina's swift words quieted the room, and Sir Lourde frowned pitifully in defeat. "Now Rowland, you may answer the question."

Regina watched him as he cleared his throat and sat forward in his chair. "Well your majesty, I have been told I have a swift way with my bow, and quick feet in hand to hand combat. No man has yet to beat me in a duel. I also pride myself in being very knowledgeable of this realms history." She saw his eyes twitched around the room and could tell he was nervous, but she was used to people acting that way in front of her.

Regina's curiosity grew, wanting to know more than just the surface of his history. He was confident, but not cocky, and he seemed well able to express his opinions thoroughly and effectively. Maybe this day was not at a total loss. She found herself oddly admiring him, something she hadn't done for a long time. Maybe there was some hope in these competitions. Her eyes darted at Graham, still motionless in his position.

"Well it seems like you have proven me wrong with your confidence. I like that. Charming I think you might have a decent candidate here. But we will just have to see what these fine gentlemen are all made of tomorrow." She smiled and darted her eyes around the room once more. "If you will excuse me, I am feeling a bit tired from today's activities." She rose from her seat, followed by everyone around the table. "I will send word to each family again in the morning with a schedule of the day's activities. I do hope you rest well." Regina bowed her head slightly. Her company bowed and remained standing until she had left the Hall.

When she reached her bedroom, she couldn't help but think about what the next few days were going to entail. She thought about Graham again and wondered if he would ever forgive her. Surely he would. However, she convinced herself that it would all have to wait till tomorrow. If she was sure of anything, it was Sir Rowland, and the strange effect he had on her. She couldn't pinpoint why, but she felt a pull towards him. Maybe it was because he was different or she just liked his calmness, and she was interested to see what he could do. For now, she knew she needed to rest. Tomorrow was the beginning of the end.


	10. Chapter 10

**Okay! sorry for the lack of updates. I've been working my way home from college the past week. Best friends graduation, and lots of on-the-road time. I was hoping to pots a couple chapters tonight but this is the only one i could get edited well enough to feel good about posting.**

**Hopefully everyone has settled from that crazy finale. (i'll keep my personal opinions about it to myself for now)**

**This will be the first of 2 back stories, then will get back to some competition! :)**

**Enjoy!**

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**CHAPTER 10**

Emma slumped over on her vanity racking her brain for any possible way she could get away with her plan. She opened her eyes and looked at the knife resting on the table in front of her. Twirling it around with her finger, she watched it spin across the white painted wood. She had been planning this moment for the past week, inconspicuously gathering the things she needed through her daily activities. She had even made some extra trips to the kitchen to find the knife when no one was around. She hated sneaking around her parents, knowing that soon their suspicions would be growing as to why she had been acting so distant. She knew she couldn't risk them finding out about her.

The knife sitting in front of her was her ticket out of this castle. She didn't feel like there was anyone left for her here. She loved her parents, that wasn't the issue. She just wasn't made to sit behind castle walls and dictate people all day. That's not who she wanted to be.

Her nerves pounded in her chest. _Would this actually work?_ Talking herself out of this now was not going to get her anywhere. For a week she had been contemplating different options that she had for this plan, but none seemed to fathom even being possible. If this didn't work, there was one other option she hadn't given much thought to because it was just unimaginable. The more she stared at the knife however, the more the unimaginable was becoming imaginable.

A knock at the door startled her, causing her to knock the knife underneath her desk.

"Just a moment!" She yelled, straining underneath the desk to reach the knife. When her fingers finally wrapped around the blade, she too it and shoved it into her top drawer.

"Emma, are you busy? I need to talk to you?" Snow's voice was muffled behind the wooden door. Emma nervously straightened her dress and pushed her strangled hair behind her ears before hurrying over and opening the door for her mother.

"Hello mother." Emma stepped away from the entrance allowing her mother to enter the room. "Is everything okay?" She tried to hide the impatience in her voice, and was relieved seeing as Snow didn't notice her hidden agenda.

"Your father and I just wanted to make sure you were okay. We haven't seen you much this week, and you just seem very… preoccupied lately. When you left us the other day, we were worried. We talked things over and we just want to tell you that we are so proud of you." Snow took Emma's hand and caressed it gently. She wipe a single tear from her face before turning away from Emma and sitting at the vanity.

Emma approached her mother and kneeled down in front of her. "Mother please don't be upset. I'm sorry I have been distant. I just need to figure out where my life is headed. I'm not the type to stay cooped up inside a castle all the time. I need freedom. I need to feel like I'm a part of something."

"You are part of something. You are the Princess of this Kingdom. You will inherit the throne one day, with a King by your side, just like your father and I. You have a part in this life." Her mother pleaded.

"It's not the same. I want to make my choices, I don't want them made for me. You and Father have something special together. You have a reason to stay. I just don't have that anymore." Emma sighed heavily. "If you and father don't want me to go to the competition, I will not argue. I trust you know what's best for me."

Snow looked down at Emma and ran her fingers through her long blonde curls, gently rubbing her thumb on Emma's cheek.

"You are so much like your father." Snow smiled. "You have his passion for life, and strength to continue on even when things don't go your way. You will be a great Queen someday." Snow leaned forward and kissed Emma's forehead. Emma closed her eyes and felt her heart sink in her chest. She forced a smile at her mother when she pulled away, pushing back her ever growing feelings. It's not that she didn't want to be Queen, she just wanted to do it on her own terms. This kind of opportunity only came once, and she was going to make sure she took it.

"Your Father and I will be choosing the Knight to represent us in a about a week. I do hope you will join us in the presentation. You father has been very stressed about it, and I can only take so much of his muttering before I need to take a walk." Snow let out small laugh as she got up from the vanity stool and made her way toward the door, Emma close on her heels. "I love you Emma."

"I love you too Mother." Emma smiled and shyly looked down at her feet. Snow left the room, quietly closing the door behind her.

Emma went and sunk down on her bed. She was going to need more help that she realized if she wanted this plan to pull through.

She pulled open her closet door and pulled out a pair of black pants and an old shirt she kept hidden for special occasions. She slipped out of her dress and changed into her new wardrobe. Making her way back to her vanity she pulled open the drawer, hesitantly taking the knife and slid it into one of her boots. She pulled her hair back in a braid and looked herself over once in her mirror. This wasn't going to be as easy as she first thought. Convincing her parents was going to take more than just a quick flick of a knife. She was going to need professional help. Magical help. And she knew exactly who she needed to see.

She cracked open her door, making sure the coast was clear and her mother had made it far enough away from her room to not hear her sneak out. Emma knew of a secret exit out of the palace from years of wondering the halls, and her recent use of it in the middle of the night made it a quick getaway. She figured that was the safest place to leave without being seen.

However, this trip was going to take more than one night, so she needed to find someone to cover for her while she was gone. Her parents would obviously be suspicious if she just dropped off the face of the earth for more than a day.

She turned down the corner at the end of the hall, and headed toward the kitchen. When she reached the door, she could hear someone rustling around, pots and pans clanging through the air, and she smiled, glad to hear what she was hoping to hear.

"Granny!" Emma busted through the door, startling the old woman leaning over a large wooden table. She laughed as the woman jumped, knocking a bowl of potatoes onto the floor.

"Emma, don't you scare me like that. My old heart doesn't have the strength it used too. You could have killed me." The old woman shook a knife at her before setting it down to pick up the potatoes rolling around under her feet.

Emma could hardly contain her laugh. "I'm so sorry! Here let me help you." Emma crawled underneath the table, catching the runaway potatoes and stacking them back in the bowl.

"What on earth are you doing down here anyway? You know dinner isn't served till 7. Don't think I'm going to let you spoil yourself on sweets again." Granny gave her a smirk and picked up her knife, cutting into one of the potatoes.

"No, I'm not here for sweets. I'm looking for Red, have you seen her?" Emma picked up a carrot from the one of the tables and bit into it, obnoxiously chewing as she wondered around the kitchen.

"I sent her out in the garden to pick up some tomatoes almost an hour ago. She should have been back by now. If you find her, tell her she won't be getting any dinner if she doesn't come back." The old woman, preoccupied with the potatoes, didn't look up at Emma as she spoke.

"I'll find her for you. You just keep making this place smell like heaven!" Emma smiled childishly.

"Still no sweets." The old woman returned.

Emma sighed, defeated, and headed out the back door toward the gardens behind the castle. She took another bite from her carrot as the evening air brushed across her cheeks.

"Red!" She chewed obnoxiously on the carrot. She looked around but couldn't find the girl. The garden was void of anyone, and didn't look like anyone had even disturbed the ground, let alone picked any tomatoes. "RED!" Emma yelled again, approaching the tree line to the woods surrounding the castle.

She heard a rustle behind her, and she immediately stopped chewing and flipped around, but saw nothing.

"So this is how you're going to play is it?" She leaned over and silently took a few steps into the trees, her carrot still in hand, held out on front of her like a weapon. She heard a branch break to her left and she started in that direction. She peered through the dense trees, searching for any sign of her friend.

"Red, you know I will find you. You can't hide. Granny is looking for you, and she has tasked me with finding you." Another stick broke to her right and she spun in the direction.

Before she could react she felt a heavy body tackle her from behind. The two bodies fell to the ground and Emma pulled herself around rolling on top of the other, pointing her carrot at her attacker.

"Red! What the hell are you doing?" The girl's laughter underneath her broke the silence of the woods. Emma couldn't contain her seriousness as she stood up smiling, stretching out a hand to her friend.

"You should have seen your face!" The girl pulled herself off the ground, still laughing at the encounter. "You were like all serious and then AAH!" The girl bent over to her knees, unable to quiet her laughter.

"Yeah, whatever. You got me this time. And apparently my carrot too." The two girls looked down at the ground at the carrot now broken into three pieces. They both busted out laughing.

When they got control of themselves and worked their way back out of the woods, Emma spoke as Red walked to the garden to pick the tomatoes.

"Granny is becoming impatient about those tomatoes. A whole hour? I wonder what excuse you'll come up with this time."

"It's not like I don't have an endless supply of excuses." Red teased back.

"Yeah well how long are you going to keep Granny in the dark about you-know-who anyways?" Emma questioned, crossing her arms as she stood watching her friend.

"I don't know what you are talking about." Red said plainly. Hiding her nervous glance up at Emma.

"Yeah right. I know perfectly well you have been sneaking around with Brandon for the past month. You can only hide him for so long you know."

Red scoffed, placing a tomato in her basket. "Look, we have a good thing going. I see him every couple of days and we get along fine. There is no harm in any of it."

"Yeah except he is married." Emma pointed out starkly.

"Look, he told me he was going to leave her as soon as he saved up enough money. It's not that big of a deal." Red defended herself, throwing a tomato in the basket.

"Fine, whatever you say." Emma threw up her hands in defeat. "Anyways, speaking of excuses, I need your help."

"Oh do tell!" Red excitedly wiped her hands on her apron and walked over to Emma.

"I'm going out for a few days, and I need you to cover for me." Emma said vaguely.

"And where are you going?" Red asked naturally.

"That doesn't matter, I just need you to cover for me while I'm gone. Tell my parents I'm not feeling well and I'm in bed." Emma nervously looked around, and noticed Red's increasing curiosity of her story.

"It does matter. You are asking me to lie to the King and Queen, and you expect me to not know where you are going? Either tell me where you are going, or you are on your own." Red crossed her arms and pursed her lips, waiting for Emma to spill the truth.

Emma sighed, avoiding her friend's eye contact and bit her lip, considering her options. This was the only way.

"I'm going to see…" Emma mumbled under her breath looking down at her feet.

"I'm sorry what?" Red cupped her ear and leaned toward Emma.

"I said…" Emma kicked the dirt nervously. "I'm going to see Rumplestiltskin."

"What!" Red yelled out in shock. Emma quickly covered her friend's mouth trying to mask the noise, hoping not to draw any attention to them.

"Shhh. Ouch!" Emma yelled out, pulling her hand back. "You bit me!"

"Emma, why are you going to see… him? You said the last time you saw him that it was going to be the last time. Why are you going to him now?" Red spoke a little louder than Emma was comfortable with, but she didn't want to be bit again so she avoided trying to quiet her down.

"I know what I said. This is different. I have to get away from this place, and he is the only way my plan will work." Emma pleaded.

"What plan? Why do I not know about this plan? Is that why you have been sneaking around so much lately?" Red stared at Emma, demanding answers.

"It's complicated okay? I don't have time to explain. I just need to see him, and I don't want my parents to know. It's just… complicated." Emma sat down on a large rock near the garden.

Red sighed, and after seeing Emma's obvious need, she sat next her on the rock. "Fine. You obviously must need him for a good reason. So… I'll do it. But on one condition."

Emma looked at her friend puzzled. "Yeah, anything."

"Please, just promise me this will be the last time you go and see him?" Red looked up and Emma could see the concern behind her dark brown eyes.

Emma smiled, wrapping her arms around the girl. "I promise."


	11. Chapter 11

**Ready for some Regina backstory? Good! **

**One thing first, i sadly forgot on the last chapter: 1) Just wanted to acknowledge my friend who gave me the idea of Rumple in Emma's backstory- anonymous. mystery95 :) Thank you! I needed some more characters and it was a great idea! And I love writing it :))**

** Alright... Think that's it. Competition coming up! Headed to go edit it right now! **

**Enjoy!**

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**Chapter 11**

"Regina please, pouting is not a good look for you." Cora sarcastically spoke as she straightened out her daughters dress seated across from her in their tiny carriage. They had been on the road for almost two days, and Regina felt like the further they went, the less control she had of her own life. The altercation she and Cora had in her room before they left proved that this was no longer a game. She never dreamed she would actually be meeting the King. Her mother's quick hand reminded her who was really in control.

"Mother, please tell me why we are doing this again?" Regina smarted off, fidgeting in her seat, growing more uncomfortable by the minute. If she had to stay cooped up in this carriage much longer with her mother she was going to scream.

"Because Regina dear, the King wants to thank you for saving his daughter. It's a miracle you were there to stop that horse, or else who knew what would have become of the princess." Cora's flat tone caused Regina to shoot her a confused look.

"It wasn't that big of a deal. He could have just sent a letter." Regina smarted back. The snow had begun to fall more heavily, building up on the window of the carriage, making it harder for Regina to see out.

"Stop it Regina. There is no use in arguing about it now." Cora reached up to check her hair, making sure it was still wrapped in the bun properly. "Who knows, maybe he will ask you to be his new bride. The Queen has been dead for almost a year now. It's about time for him to remarry. Most of the Kingdom has begun to gossip about what he does in his free time, and we can't have that now can we?" She patted Regina's knee and smiled. Regina could tell it was fake.

For as long as she could remember, she never felt that her mother really loved her. When her father died, she could remember watching the life drain from every part of her mother. Everything about her changed, the way she looked at her, the way she walked, the way she controlled her. It's like the death of her father made her mother feel like she had lost control of her life, and if she controlled Regina, maybe things would work out the way she wanted them too.

Finally, after a long uneasy silence, Regina could see the entrance to the King's castle. She would rather be anywhere, even there, than in this carriage right now, confined to such a small space with her mother. At least there would be air where they were going.

The castle, Regina admitted to herself, was very beautiful. She could see the mountains set off behind it, the snow covered tips hidden behind a layer of dense fog. The gates were massive hand carved wooden doors as a gift from a nearby town for the birth of the King's daughter. The castle itself was completely made of stone, built to withstand any army that dared try and take it.

The carriage halted outside the gate. Regina could see one of her guards talking to another who had approached him as they pulled up. The soldier waved a hand, and the wooden doors began to open, dust falling from each of the hinges. The carriage lurched forward again, rocking her in her seat. She took a deep breath, looking down at her folded hands in her lap.

"Don't be nervous Regina. Remember, you are a hero." At least her mother tried to seem excited for her. Regina knew this was all just a charade. Her mother loved the attention. She lived for it.

Once inside, a servant girl led them both down a hallway decorated with paintings and plush furniture. The ceiling was so high, Regina could hardly see. The girl walking in front of her was terribly young. She wondered what foul her family must have done to land her here as a servant at such a young age.

At the end of the hall, the three women were met by a tall mahogany door. The details carved into the wood almost matched the ones on the gate. The doors opened and they proceeded inside. Regina's heart began to pound harder in her chest as they walked further into the hall.

She looked around the room. There was a large flaming fireplace hoping to overwhelm the icy chill from the snow outside. In the center of the room there was a large pool between two sets of concrete seating. At the end of the pool there were two thrones setting at the top of some stairs, one empty, one occupied.

"Your Majesty I present to you, Lady Cora, and Lady Regina." A servant standing next to the occupied throne echoed through the room. Regina could feel herself shaking, and she wrenched her hands together trying to gain control of her nerves.

The King sat motionless in his throne, not making a move as the women walked in. When Regina and her mother reached the bottom of the stairs leading up to him, they stopped and bowed gracefully.

"You're Majesty." Cora said as they bowed.

The King stood from his throne and slowly walked down the steps to them, his eyes plastered on Regina. She felt more uncomfortable than she had ever in her life. His eyes were dull, and his small grin looked devilish in the low light of the hall.

"Lady Cora, how nice to see you again. This must be your daughter? The one who saved my little girl?" He stopped just short of the bottom step.

"Yes your majesty. This is my daughter Regina." Cora placed both her hands on Regina's shoulders, pushing her forward, presenting her to the King. Regina suddenly felt like a piece of meat standing between the two adults. Her mother, the seller. The King, the buyer.

"Your mother did not exaggerate on your beauty. It has been a while since I have laid eyes on such a masterful piece of work." The King looked her up and down, examining every inch of her. Regina thought she actually saw him lick his lips, and it sent a shiver down her spine.

Regina suddenly felt sick to her stomach. She had never had a man look at her so lustfully before and it made her want to run for her life.

"Thank you, your majesty." Regina's words felt like a knife as they came out.

"To thank you for your heroic actions, I invite yourself and your mother to stay with me here at the castle. Dine with me, enjoy our lavish treats. You may never want to leave." The King grinned at both women. Regina wanted to scream in his face, tell him no, tell him she would never stay here if her life depended on it. Everything about him, about this castle suddenly disgusted her.

"We would be greatly honored your majesty." Cora spoke up through her daughter's silence. Regina looked at Cora in disgust, which her mother quickly shot down with an angry glare.

"Fantastic." The King clapped his hands together, causing Regina to jump. He made his way back up to his throne and sat down. "Isabela, please escort Regina and Cora to their rooms. They are surely exhausted from their travels and will need a good night's rest." The little girl they followed in initially, stepped out of the shadows and walked up to Regina and Cora.

"This way please." She spoke. Why was she so young? Regina could hardly speak out, considering she hadn't even reached her sixteenth year yet. The girl could have only been a few years younger than herself.

They followed her down long, strange hallways. Ever door or window Regina saw, made her want to run out of them and never return, and never to be seen by another person. However, her mother's pressure on her arm as they walked kept her from doing so.

"Regina this is a good sign." Cora whispered. Regina felt the hair on the back of her neck stand on end. "The King has offered us a stay. That means he wants to spend time with you. Did you see the way he looked at you? He is very interested." Regina wished her mother would just be quiet. For once in her life. This was the last thing Regina wanted to here before the night was over. She was disgusted that her mother took the King's lustful gazes as nothing more than him being interested.

"Lady Cora, this will be your room." The girl stopped in front of a tall wooden door. It was not decorated as intricately as the previous entrances, but nevertheless it was a handmade masterpiece.

"Sleep well dear. And I do hope you come with a better attitude tomorrow. We are here to impress, not depress." Cora gave a shallow kiss on Regina's cheek before disappearing into her room.

"If you will follow me Lady Regina, your room is this way." The girl proceeded further down the hall. Regina crossed her arms around her stomach, no longer wanting to hold back the tears that flooded into her eyes. The icy wind blowing through the windows penetrated her skin.

As they walked, Regina couldn't help but continue to wonder about the girl she was following. Since they seemed to be alone, she took a few larger strides catching up to the girl.

"What is your name?" Regina asked. She saw the girls eyes flutter a moment and hesitate to answer. "It's alright, we are alone." Regina assured her.

The girl looked behind them to make sure for herself before she spoke. "Isabela." Her voice was sweet, untouched by the tragedies of the world, yet sounded so mature.

"That's a beautiful name." Regina tried to lighten up the mood, both for the girl and herself. "Have you been here long? Working for the King?" Regina asked.

"No. I have only been here about a month now." She answered sneaking a cautious look up at Regina. Despite their seemingly close age, the girl was much shorter than Regina.

"How old are you?" Regina asked again. Anything to keep her mind off of where she was, and what her mother's intentions for her were.

"I will be 13 the day after tomorrow." Her voice seemed to perk up when she answered.

"How did you end up here?"

The girl hesitated again, looking down at the ground as they walked.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to prude. I just think if you are going to be helping me while I'm here I can at least no something about you." Regina admitted.

The girl came to a stop in front of a door that looked almost identical to her mothers.

"This will be your room. There are clothes for you to wear in the closet. If you need anything, there is a bell just inside the door. Ring it, and a guard will come assist you. If there is nothing else my lady, I will leave you to your evening." Isabela bowed to her. Regina felt almost sorry that this girl was having to wait on her, hand and foot, seeing as they were so close in age.

"Thank you, Isabela." Regina nodded her head and proceeded into her room. Isabela turned and made her way down the hallway in the direction they came. Regina watched her, almost wishing she wouldn't leave. Then slowly shut the door.

She leaned against the wood, and slid down to the floor. There was no holding back the tears any longer. She let them free and they poured down her face. So much had happened in the last few weeks, she felt herself crumble inside. This was not what she wanted with her life. She wanted freedom. She wanted a life where she could make her own choices. Soon that life would be long gone, out of her reach. For now, she just wanted to cry. And cry she did.

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**To clear up a possible question: No, the King's daughter is NOT Snow White. I was trying to think of a way to get Regina to the King's castle and I wasn't feeling very creative the day I wrote it, so i stuck with the story. **

**Thanks :)**


	12. Chapter 12

**So i apologize if the introduction of Emma in this chapter is sort of sudden. I think i had changed some things in previous chapters introducing her earlier and, i have been racking my brain with a way not to just throw her in your face. But i can't. I think by this point we all know who Emma is! So hopefully it won't spoil too much.**

**Competition time! Wonder who will win!?**

**Enjoy!**

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**CHAPTER 12**

Regina looked out examining the roaring crowds on either side of her as they shouted and chanted the names of the Princes they came to support. The sun beat down above her, and she could feel the warmth penetrating the red tent above her head. There was a cool breeze that blew through her hair, sending a strange shiver down her neck.

The five competitors stood before her in salute with bows and arrows placed at their feet. Their chest plates were bright in the light of the day, reflecting the sun into her face. At the end of a long course five circular targets hung from ropes, each swinging from left to right. Regina turned her head and nodded at Graham, who nodded in return and stepped out from under the royal tent.

The sun caught the edge of Graham's armor as he stepped from under the tent and reflected sharply into Regina's eyes. She turned away from the reflection and rested her head in her hand, her growing headache becoming too hard to manage in the heat of the day. A man standing to the left of Graham sounded a trumpet to signal the beginning of the competitions. The crowd silenced as Graham drew his sword from his belt, holding it high in the air above his head and spoke, booming over the remaining dispersed shouts through the crowds. The ringing of his voice through the metal swelled in Regina's ears, and she winced trying to curve the sound.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to the first stage of the Royal Competitions." Graham brought his sword back down and slid it in his belt. "Today, each competitor will have three chances to hit a swinging target at the end of the course. Each round the competitors will shoot once and the competitor with the furthest distance from the center of the target will be eliminated from the game. If you miss you will be automatically eliminated and we will move onto the next round. After three competitors have been eliminated, the final two competitors will be given five arrows, each of which you will need to shoot at all five targets. The one with the most accurate five shots will be declared the winner. The winner will be rewarded 10 points, second place will receive 5 points, and third place will receive one point. Competitors are there any questions?" Graham paused, waiting for any questions, and when there is none, he continued. "Very well. By random draw, Sir Lourde you will be first, followed by Sir Jones, Sir Leonardo, Sir Frey, and finally Sir Rowland. If you will please pick up your bows and turn to face your targets, the round will begin with the first shot. Sir Lourde you may shoot when you are ready."

Regina sat up curiously to see the first shot. Sir Lourde raised his bow and aimed carefully down the course. He struggled to pull the bow back and a quiet murmur ran through the crowd. Regina shook her head and rolled her eyes as she sat back, quickly unimpressed. _Here we go._ Lourde let go of the bow and the arrow flew down range. The crowd silenced as the judge at the end of the course examined the target and then proceeded to hold up a red flag. A miss. The crowd let out a sorrowful sigh. Sir Lourde thrashed the air, and threw down his bow in disgust, storming off the field, cursing the sky as he went. The crowd was silent as his shouts echoed until he was out of range.

Prince Jones chuckled a little, "We'll that's a good sport. One down."

"Sir Lourde has missed his first shot, and has been eliminated from the competition. Round one is complete. Sir Jones, round two will begin when you are ready." Graham announced. Regina looked up at Graham who stood tall next to her. He seemed so distracted lately, and she couldn't tell if it was still hard feelings from the way she spoke to him, or if there was something else on her mind. Nevertheless, this was neither the time nor place to talk of such things, so she tried to push the thoughts away.

Jones picked up his bow with his good hand and fastened his hook around it. Regina was impressed with his ingenuity, and he sat up intrigued as to if he could actually shoot accurately. She glanced up at Graham, hoping he didn't notice her interest. Suddenly she felt self-conscious.

He pulled the bow back with his good hand and shot quickly. The crowd waited impatiently for the call from down range. The Judge waved a green flag straight up in the air. A dead center hit. The crowd cheered as Jones turned, bowed and gave a wink toward Regina. She rolled her eyes. His charm was disgustingly overwhelming and he was obviously trying too hard. It made Regina sick to her stomach just to imagine her life if he won.

Sir Leonardo, and Sir Frey proceeded to take their shots. Leonardo hit the target far to the left, but Frey missed wide right.

Graham announced the results once again to the crowd. "Sir Frey has missed his shot and has been eliminated. We have three competitors left. Congratulations competitors, each of you will have the possibility of receiving points for your Kingdom." Graham paused as the crowds cheered for the remaining competitors. "The last round will begin with Sir Rowland. Rowland you may begin when you are ready."

Emma, who had been quiet up till now, took a deep breath and pulled an arrow from her sheath. She tried to curb her nerves while she watched the other competitors shoot through the previous rounds. Closing her eyes she allowed her heart to settle before setting up for the shot. Her breath was thin as she aligned her arrow and focused her attention on the moving target. She watched as it swung back and forth at the end of the course. She flashed back to her training as a girl with her father. She could hear her his voice in her head. _"Take your time little one. The bow is just an extension of you. Allow yourself to flow through it, and you will never miss."_ Her father's voice whispered in her mind, and she released the arrow. She let out a heavy sigh and let down her bow as the crowd watched the judge at the end of the course. He swung his green flag straight up in the air. A dead center hit. The crowd roared, and she gave a smile of relief and waved to the crowd before turning to face Regina. Emma bowed her head to the Queen.

Sir Jones annoyingly stepped up once more harnessing the bow in his hook. He obviously thought this would be an easy win for him. He let out another quick shot, but this time the arrow connected wide right on the target. His head fell and he shook his head angrily, kicking the ground beneath his feet. He turned and gave a more rigid bow to Regina, embarrassed by his inaccurate shot no doubt. Leonardo stepped back up and drew his bow. He let go, and the judge held up his red flag. A miss.

"Sir Leonardo, you have been eliminated from the competition, and you have been awarded one point. Sir Rowland and Sir Jones, you are our final two competitors. You each have five shots remaining, one for each target. The competitor with the most accurate five shots will be our winner, and will be awarded ten points."

Regina rose from her chair and walked up to stand next to Graham. He bowed and then looked at her, puzzled by her interruption. "My lady?" Regina leaned into Graham and faintly whispered in his ear. He shivered under his armor at her presence. Regina forced herself to control herself as their bodies pressed together. When she finished, her body lingered close to his, but quickly retreated as she stood next to him, her hands gently folded in front of her.

"The Queen has requested an extra prize for the winner of this competition. The winner will not only receive ten points, but will also be awarded a private dinner with the Queen." Regina stood tall and eyed both competitors. They bowed to her then rose. She nodded at both of them, her eyes lingering on Rowland. The crowds chanted both names as the competitors were given their five arrows.

Graham spoke directly to the competitors. "You will need to decide between the two of you who will proceed first. Decide carefully. You may begin when you are ready." Graham turned and made his way to stand back next to Regina, who had made her way back to her chair, but remained standing to get a better view of the competitors.

When Emma turned to Sir Jones he was already making his way to the first target pulling his first bow. He pulled back his first arrow and let it go. He then quickly proceeded down the line with his final four shots. The judge made his way down the line examining the shots. Three dead centers, and one to the left, and one miss.

Regina was impressed with the one handed man. She gracefully applauded him. When he finished, he turned and bowed to her, this time more seriously. He eyed over Emma and gave her a sarcastic bow.

"She's all yours lad." He turned and stood behind Emma as the crowd cheered his name. His chest bucked out and he waved at both sides of the crowd, lifting his hook high in the air.

Emma took her place at the beginning of the line. She could see Sir Jones arrows in the targets. She watched as they swung back and forth, taunting her. Out of the corner of her eye she could see her mother and father. If only they knew who she really was, this would be over. Snow was on the edge of her seat awaiting her knight to take his shots. Emma pulled the first arrow up, took a deep breath, and pulled her bow up aiming at her target. She shot, then pulled her second. She shot, then pulled, shot, then pulled, shot, then pulled, and shot, her last arrow flying quickly down the course. It was over before she could take another breath. The crowd was silent as they awaited the judge. The first three split Jones arrows down the middle. The final two, were also dead center hits.

The crowd went wild. They chanted his name. _ROWLAND! ROWLAND! ROWLAND!_ Sir Jones was in shock. He couldn't believe what he had just witnessed, and with as much of his pride as he could muster he approached Emma reaching out his good hand.

"That was impressive lad. Congratulations." Emma firmly shook it and nodded.

Regina took a few steps forward so that she was entirely covered in the warm sunlight. She was quite relieved Rowland had won, seeing as she made the extra prize with confidence that he would win over Jones. She personally didn't want to spend the evening with the overly charming Prince Jones. She wanted to get to know this Rowland. There was something mysterious about him and she couldn't quite figure out what it was. She couldn't see into him, like she could most men she encountered. She watched him as he waved to the crowd and smiled at his fans. She wasn't sure, but she thought she liked him.

Graham made his way down to the field and stood next to Rowland and waited for the crowd to calm before he spoke. "Ladies and Gentleman, your Archery Champion! Sir Connor Rowland." His voice boomed through the air and he lifted Emma's arm high above her head. The crowd cheered uncontrollably. "Sir Jones has been awarded five points, and Sir Rowland has been awarded ten points as well as a private dinner with her majesty The Queen tonight. The competitors will meet back here tomorrow afternoon for the second competition."

Emma's smile was large as she watched the crowd cheer for her victory, she hardly even realized what she had done. She turned to her mother and father and bowed to them.

Regina applauded Rowland and watched him as he interacted with the crowd. She examined his armor, picking out the details of how it moved, and the vibrant blue and gold coloring. The leather material strapped around his arms and waist were tight. He wasn't very muscular for such a seemingly successful knight, but that didn't bother her because he obviously had skill in the important areas. She couldn't understand why she was so intrigued by this mystery knight. Was it his spirit, or his dedication? Perhaps his charisma, or the way he seemed to hide a secret. He was quiet but could hold his own in an argument. She needed to know more about him.

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**More back stories coming up! You tired of them yet? Well it's about to get pretty crazy, so just hang tight!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Alrighty! Well i figured I would post a chapter or two by the middle of this week. And I'm about to head out of town for a few days so i figured this was as good a time as ever. Ill post 2 chapter, since they are both back stories so we can get those out of the way. **

**This one is Graham's! Sorry if it's a little rough..**

**Enjoy! **

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**Chapter 13**

Graham opened the letter waiting for him on his desk when he got back to his tent. In the four years since the ambush, he had completely dedicated his life to the King's army, rising up through the ranks faster than anyone thought he could.

_Dear Captain Taylor,_

_His royal highness, the King, has requested your presence a week from tomorrow for the presentation of the Medal of Valor. You will be honored for your bravery throughout your service in the King's Royal Army. _

_The King and his great Kingdom will forever be in your debt._

Graham slumped down in his chair behind his desk, reading over the letter one more time. It would take at least a week to reach the Kingdom from where his army was stationed. The recent victory of his camp had put the men on high spirits. Maybe a week away from everything would give him the energy he needed to continue to lead his men into battle.

"Corporal Jenkins, I need you to take command. The King has sent for me, and I must leave immediately." Graham stood collecting his sword and helmet.

"Yes sir. What should I tell the men while you are gone?" Jenkins followed Graham out to his horse. Graham slung his bag of effects over the white horse, and turned back to Jenkins.

He pulled his helmet over his head. "Tell them I will return in two weeks. Make sure they stay out of trouble while I'm gone. The front should stay quiet after our last battle. The Ogres will need time to regroup from that kind of loss. You should be fine while I'm gone."

Graham hoisted himself onto his horse and kneed its sides. The horse lurched forward and sped off down the muddy road, disappearing with its rider into the woods.

Graham moved as fast as he could through the trees. The snow packed into the ground as the horse sped over top. His cheeks burned with ice the further he rode. After a few days, he could finally see the peaks of the mountains just beyond his destination. The fog was thin and he could see the snow capping the entire range on the horizon. He stopped on top of a hill, blowing warm air into his gloved hands, trying to warm them from the ice. His horse heavy breath fogged out front of them.

Graham dismounted and dug in one of his satchels, pulling out a large red apple. He put it to the horse's mouth, and after teasing it with its lips, gratefully took it in one bite. Graham patted his cheek, and grabbed hold of the reins.

He sighed heavily wiping the frozen from under his nose. He knew what was waiting for him at the palace. She would be there. She was always there. In his mind, he could never push her presence away entirely. His work in the army only dulled the pain from their last meeting. However, the closer he got to the Kingdom, the less he could push her away.

After walking for a while, he pulled himself back up on his horse and kicked it forward. The cold bit at his exposed face once again. He could feel his heart becoming as cold as the ice the further he rode. He wasn't sure if it was from the ice, or from his feelings growing about her. He personally didn't like either option.

The sun had dipped below the mountains when Graham finally galloped up to the castle gate. The large wooden doors stood closed in front of him. He dismounted a few yards away, and walked up to the guard standing watch.

"What is your business here?" The guard stepped up to him.

Graham pulled out the letter in his pocket. "The King has sent for me." He handed the letter to the guard.

After inspecting it, the guard whistled up to another guard above him on a platform, signaling for him to open the gate.

When Graham reached the door to the castle, a young woman greeted him.

"If you will follow me, the King will see you immediately." She smiled. He removed his helmet pulling a hand through his messy hair and followed her as she walked through the door. As soon as he broke the threshold, his heart suddenly began to race, thawing itself from the winter outside. He could feel her presence inside, and he wasn't even near her yet. He knew she was so close. Closer then she had been in nearly four years. Every moment of that time he had spent pushing her away, and now suddenly, by fate, he is being pulled against his will back to her.

"Captain Taylor. Welcome to my palace." The King stood lifting his hands above his head, his booming voice echoing off the golden walls. Graham stood at the bottom of the stairs leading to his throne. The one next to him was unfortunately empty. Graham felt his body tense up as the King stepped down toward him.

"Thank you, your highness. It is an honor to be in your presence." Graham stood from his kneel at attention as the King approached him.

"No sir, it is an honor to be in _your_ presence. Tomorrow, you will be honored for your service to my army. You have risen up through the ranks faster than anyone I have ever seen. Tell me please, how did you do it?" The King patted him on the back, smiling down at him.

"Well your majesty, when you live for the army, you tend to be very dedicated to it. I worked hard and devoted all the time I had to being the best soldier I could be." Graham glanced around the room nervously, wondering if she was going to come in and interrupt them.

"That is exactly what I love to hear my son." The King thudded Grahams back with a heavy hand causing his shoulders to fall forward. Graham caught himself clearing his throat.

"Well, Isabela here will show you to your room. We have a magnificent room set up for you. I want you to be comfortable. And if there is anything I can get you, please don't hesitate to ask." The King twitched his eyes over to Isabela as he spoke. Graham looked at her and back at the King, processing his offer, growing sick to his stomach. Isabela was beautiful, but he could not push himself like that on any woman. And any man who even thought about that made him sick.

"Thank you your majesty." Graham stiffly bowed and turned towards the door. Isabela lead him out and down a long dark hallway. Graham could feel his breath building up inside him. He had no idea what he would do when he saw her. Would he freeze? Would he know exactly what to say? Would she even know who he was? Would he sweep her off her feet? He hated the uncertain feeling growing inside his chest.

Isabela turned in front of him down another hallway. "How big is this place anyway?" He asked jokingly. He felt like they had been walking forever. Isabela did not respond.

He turned his head down a small hallway they passed, and froze immediately. Isabela continued to walk straight, but he could no longer feel his legs. He tried to move, he could feel his brain telling them to move but they refused. His eyes couldn't either.

There she was. In all her glory, walking straight for him. Her hair was braided, and laid gracefully over her shoulder. Graham hardly even noticed the three other women walking next to her. There she was. He could feel himself walking towards her, but the hallway grew the further he stretched. She was so close. _Regina._

Just then, she looked up at him, finally noticing his motionless body at the end of the hall. She hesitated as their eyes met. She stopped a moment, the girls all staring in his direction.

Words, what are words? He couldn't speak. He was dead to the entire world except her. She was looking directly at him.

One of the women leaned in and whispered something in her ear. She shook her head, then turned down an adjacent hall. Before she was out of his site, he saw her sneak another glance up at him.

"Sir?" Isabela had returned when she realized he was no longer following her. She looked down the hall that he was staring down, but there was nothing. "Sir are you alright?" Graham pulled himself from his thoughts, looking at Isabela, then back down the hall. He waited to answer, hoping she would turn around once she realized who he was. She never returned.

"I'm sorry, I uh… thought I saw something." Graham wiped his sweating hands on the front of his uniform.

"Well your room is just around the corner here."

His legs regained life and continued behind Isabela.

"There will be a party tomorrow in the Great Hall. The King will be expecting your presence to present your medal." Isabela stood at the door as Graham walked in. "If there is nothing else sir, I must be getting back to my chores."

"No there is nothing. Thank you." Graham nodded respectfully to Isabela, hoping she did not notice his distracted gaze. She bowed back, and turned down the hall.

He sat down on his bed, and allowed his head to fall into his hands. So long had he been pushing everything inside of him away. So long had he dulled himself to the pain. It was all rushing back like a river and he had no ability to stop it. Seeing her again felt like someone had ripped his heart out and shoved it back in. Jolting him back into reality.

He could feel his eyes grow heavy, and knew he was in desperate need of sleep. Maybe it was his tiredness taking over that made him feel this way. Maybe after a much needed night of rest he would be able to think more clearly. He knew she had to be attending the party tomorrow. There was no escaping this. There was no turning back.


	14. Chapter 14

**And here's Emma's back story! :)**

**Enjoy**

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**CHAPTER 14**

The light of the day was fading as Emma trekked off further into the woods. She had only taken this route once before, and she vowed never to take it again, but seeing as her circumstances were becoming dire, she didn't see that she had another choice. Her plan was going to need something stronger than a knife, and magic was just the thing she was looking for. Seeing as this Rumplestiltskin was the only person she knew who had magic, this was her best bet at getting to the Enchanted Kingdom unnoticed.

She came to a clearing in the trees, and decided to bunk down under one of the borderline trees on outside of the clearing. She couldn't keep track of how many miles she had walked since leaving soon after she talked to Red.

Red was able to pack her a few supplies and food for the journey without Granny finding out. Before she left, her friend had asked her one last time if this really was her only way. Emma considered not coming, seeing her friends concern, but had quickly waved the thought away and confirmed her plan.

The wind played with the tee branches above Emma's head as she collected some dry wood to build a fire. She hated being out in the woods alone, and Red usually accompanied her on her normal walks, but this was something she wanted to do alone, and she was sure Red wouldn't have come even if she had asked. Emma knew of only a few desperate people who had ever gone to Rumplestiltskin for help. Most of the people she knew, knew about his evil schemes and did their best without him. Emma however, through personal experience knew if she needed something to happen he could get it done. His price was steep, but his promises were always met.

As the fire flamed in front of her, Emma could feel her eyes grow heavy, and she couldn't hold them open any longer. She laid back on the blanket spread underneath her, using her bag as a pillow and allowed her eyes to close.

After what felt like only a few minutes, she was woken up by limbs cracking near her. She shot up from her blanket drawing her knife from her boot, squinting into the darkness. The fire had died into a small flame, giving off little light to help her see through the trees. Another crack sounded behind her and she whipped around, the knife pulled back ready to strike. The familiar site of a red cape caused her to almost yell out.

"Red? What are you doing here?" Emma dropped her knife immediately at the realization of her friend stepping through the trees. She walked over to her grabbing her by the shoulder.

"I just couldn't live with myself knowing you were out here. With… him." She looked around nervously.

"That doesn't mean you come after me! I told you I would be back in a few days. You could have gotten yourself killed out here in the dark. You have to go back first thing in the morning. What about Granny? My parents? You were supposed to cover for me!" Emma paced in front of the small flames as Red put her bag down and took off her cape.

"Don't worry, I got it all worked out. Nobody will find us out. I paid some of the guards off to make sure no one will come asking for us. A bad case of the flu has begun spreading around the castle." Red looked up at Emma and smirked.

"I still don't know why you came after me." Emma sighed and put some extra wood on the fire, allowing it to flame up in front of them.

"Why do you think? I was worried. And I still don't know why you are even doing this." Red rubbed her hands together attempting to warm her hands in the heat of the fire.

"I told you it's complicated." Emma sat down next to her friend.

"Try me. I may be a servant _at your parent's _castle, but I'm still your friend. You are supposed to tell me when your life starts falling apart, remember?" Red leaned into Emma, nudging her with her elbow. As much as Emma didn't want to explain herself, she was glad Red was at least interested in her life. And despite where she was going, she was glad to see her friends face tonight.

"Fine. Queen Regina sent us an invitation to her palace in a few weeks. She is looking for a new King. And she wants a prince from each of the five kingdoms to come to her palace and compete for the throne." Emma looked over to Red who was staring into the fire. "And we don't have a prince." She added after some silence.

"So what are you trying to accomplish by going and seeing him?" Red asked, not taking her eyes off the flames.

"I'm going to see him because I need him to make me look like a Prince. I was just going to cut my hair off, but my parents would surely recognize me. I need him to make me look different to everyone else."

Red looked over at Emma and eyed her from head to toe. Emma could tell she was concerned, and was trying to figure out something to say.

"Look, you can't talk me out of this. I've spent a week trying to talk myself out of it, and yet here I am… or here _we _are." Emma picked up a handful of dirt and let it fall through her fingers. She could feel Red's eyes on her, but she didn't want to look up.

"Why?" Red managed through the silence.

"Why what?" Emma asked.

"Why do you want to leave? You're a Princess. What more could you want? What's going to happen when people find out you are a girl?" Emma could hear the anger grow inside Red as she questioned her.

"Look I know how dumb it sounds. But I just want to decide for myself. I want to be what I want, not what I'm expected to be. Do I regret being a Princess? No. Do I hate that I don't have a choice in the matter? Yes!"

"So what, you just expect to go see him and he will make everything better? Do you not remember the last time you went to him? He requires payment, Emma. And not the monetary kind." Red pleaded.

"I know, Red. I remember what happened. There is not a day or night that goes by that I don't think about what happened. But where would we be if I hadn't of gone? It worked didn't it?"

Red sighed but did not respond. She just stared at Emma.

"If you thought by coming here you were going to talk me out of this, then you have wasted your time." Emma got up annoyingly, and dusted off her pants. Red got up along with her and approached her angrily.

"Well excuse me for trying to help. I want you to think about the consequences for once in your life, Emma. Realize that the things you do have a bigger impact then you think."

Emma remained silent, looking out into the darkness of the trees. Red shook her head letting out a small snort.

"But that's just it, you don't think do you? You don't care about your parents, or the rest of the Kingdom, or me or anyone!"

Emma's body went stiff, and she forced herself around, her face red with anger,

"You think I don't care? Really, that's where you're going to go? You know what, maybe you are right. Maybe I don't care about anyone but myself. There do you feel better, I admitted it. You were right, you are always right." Emma inched closer as she spoke, and Red's anger morphed into a small dose of fear. She could see the rage behind Emma's eyes, something she hadn't ever seen in her before.

Emma pushed passed her friend and began packing her bag.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm going to get this over with. The sooner I get there, the sooner I can move on with my plan." Red watched as Emma packed her things, and threw her water on the fire. The trees immediately went black as the embers sizzled from the fire.

"You're going now, in the dark?"

"I'm on a schedule." Emma stated sharply. She picked up her things and walked out into the clearing.

"Wait!" Red grabbed her pack and hurried off after Emma. Emma stopped and turned waiting for her friend to catch up.

"You're still coming, after all that?" Emma asked confused.

"Of course. I'm still your friend. Even though you make stupid decisions, it's my job to make them with you." Red said as she caught up to Emma, out of breath. Emma suddenly wrapper her arms around Red's neck, catching Red off guard.

"Thank you." Emma whispered.

Red smiled and wrapped her arms around Emma. "You're welcome."

* * *

**Next up... Victory dinner with the Queen! **


	15. Chapter 15

**Dinner with Regina! SQ chapter! I'm sorry if it's not super intense. I haven't practiced on those moments enough yet to be very good, so i kept it light here. Still hope you enjoy it :) **

**We are getting close to the end. I haven't decided how many chapters i will stretch out the last bit i still have to write. But it's coming together! **

**Alright enough chit chat.. Enjoy! **

* * *

**CHAPTER 15**

Emma couldn't believe what she had just done. She knew she could give these Princes a run for their money but she had a small doubt in her head that told her she wouldn't be able to beat them. But she did.

Her heart was still racing when she made it back to her room in the palace. She shut the door behind her and let out a huge sigh of relief. She couldn't shake her smile as she began untying her leather chest plate. Before she could get it all untied she heard a soft knock on the door. Maybe it was Snow or Charming coming to congratulate her once again.

"Uh just a minute!" Her deep voice still surprised her sometimes. She hurriedly tied her straps back around her chest and walked to the door. When she opened it, a servant girl stood at the doorway with a silver pale of water and an empty cup balancing on top of a silver plate.

She was small, her hair braided down her back and her brown clothe dress was ragged, tied to her waist by a black belt, and finished above her bare feet.

"The Queen has requested we bring all of the competitor's water for the evening."

Emma opened the door, motioning an invitation inside and shut the door behind the girl after she entered. "Thank you very much uh…"

"Isabela."

"Isabela." Emma repeated smiling at her. "Do you know what time they are serving dinner tonight? I'm supposed to have dinner with the Queen, but no one has told me when it is."

Emma stepped toward the silver plate Isabela placed next to her bed and poured a glass.

"Dinner is served at 6, and will be served in the Great Hall." Isabela spoke as she walked away towards the door to Emma's room.

"Thank you Isabela." Emma raised her glass, and Isabela turned and gave a shy smile and bowed before retreating into the hallway.

Emma walked toward the window taking another sip from her cup. The water was so cool on her lips it sent shivers down her spine and into her toes. She looked out the window onto the streets of the city. The town was in full bustle, buying and selling anything and everything they could. She could have sworn she saw someone trade a chicken for a pair of boots. She sighed and looked up at the sun as it set high in the sky. It couldn't have been past three in the afternoon. Thankfully she would be able to rest and get cleaned up before going to dinner in a few hours.

If only her parents knew who she really was, what would they think of her now? She brushed the thought away as she drank the rest of the water in her cup. She moved slowly back to her bedside and shed the rest of her armor stretching herself out on her bed. Her eyes grew heavy, but she didn't want to sleep. She needed to figure out how to fix this. She needed Ruby here, to pick her up and keep her from drowning into this whole she had dug herself. As she drifted off, she could still here Ruby's voice racing through her thoughts, her warnings ringing through her ears.

* * *

Regina paced her room, wrenching her hands together as if to wring out the nerves from her body. Why was she so nervous? She could hardly sit still as she waited for her dinner with Rowland. She was looking forward to meeting him, but still didn't really know what it was about him that made her feel this way. He was the image of everything she was supposed to hate. A man coming in to take her crown and her kingdom, a man who she would be forced to marry if he won the competitions. She wanted to know him and how he ticked, and of course why he was here. Clearly he had some motive to being here, or else he wouldn't have come.

She needed to pull herself together immediately. The harder she tried it seemed, the more she fell apart. She found her mind comparing Rowland and Graham. On one hand she had known Graham for a very long time, and the time had taken a toll on both of them. Her feelings for him were genuine, there was no escaping that. He had been there to pick up the pieces after the King died, but she needed him at his position. What a scandal that would bring if the Kingdom found out she was having a relationship with her head of security. How long had it been going on? Did the King know? Was she with other men? No matter how bad she wanted him, she didn't know how to take him.

On the other hand, it was a strange and different feeling she had when she thought about Rowland. Her thoughts made her feel young again, and she felt life pour back into her when she looked into his eyes. He was interesting, and available. She saw some of herself in him, someone who saw more in the world than anyone should or could see. He was silently intimidating, composed, and reserved, and that was something she had lost touch of in herself through the years.

Regina continued to pace her room, pausing and examining herself in her tall mirror. She examined her dress, and her eyes followed the length all the way to the floor. She felt the sequence around her edge of the material and played with her diamonds that fell across her chest. She took a step closer and her eyes met the eyes of her reflection. She watched as the brown orbs stared back, looking for any answer she might be able to dig up from deep down inside her chest. They looked like her eyes, but they didn't feel like her eyes. She saw a stranger staring back at her. Someone who she didn't know, but they knew everything about her and wanted to use it against her. She suddenly felt uncomfortable with her own reflection, and turned away from the mirror.

A soft knock sounded at her door.

"Come in." Her voice slightly breaking as she spoke. Isabela poked her head into the room.

"Your majesty?"

"Isabela come in, come in." Regina turned and waved her over to the bed. They sat beside each other and Regina looked at her questionably. "So what did he say? Did you take him the water?"

"Yes, but he didn't say much, he looked tired so I didn't want to keep him very long." Isabela looked down at her hands and fidgeted.

"I guess that's expected." Regina stared down at her hands. "Well did he say anything?" Regina tried to hide the excitement in her voice, but she knew it was noticeable.

"Well, I told him the water was from you, he said thank you. And then he asked me when dinner was. That was pretty much it." Isabela looked up at Regina.

Regina scoffed and stood up, placing her hands on her hips and paced the floor.

"I'm sorry, he looked tired, and I didn't want to keep him any longer. I didn't want him to become suspicious." Isabela's head fell into her hands. "I'm terrible at this kind of thing."

"Oh dear, you did nothing wrong. It's me, I just want to know more about him you know? And I can't seem to get enough information about him to satisfy my curiosity." Regina stepped in front of Isabela who was still buried in her hands. "Isabela look at me." Regina sank down to her knees in front of the girl and took her hands into her own. Isabela picked her head up and stared at the floor. "Look at me." Regina demanded once again. Isabela's brown sulking eyes met Regina's stare. "Isabela, you are my best friend. I don't know what I would do without you. You have been the only thing keeping me sane through all of this." Isabela gave a little smile and Regina smiled back.

Regina stood up from her knees and resumed her seat next to Isabela on the bed. "I just don't know what it is about Rowland that gets to me, but somehow I need to know more about him. And you are the only person I trust with this. Just get to know him a little bit. For me." Isabela nodded her head in agreement and gave a shy smile. Regina took her head in her hands and kissed her forehead. "Thank You."

* * *

Regina took a deep breath as she stood in front of the towering mahogany doors of The Great Hall. She remembered the first time she had laid eyes on them, some seven years ago, unknowing of what her story would become after that day. Until now, darkness had filled her life, with only Isabela and Graham as a light through it all. And now, another light awaited her beyond the doors.

The anticipation of this moment had been eating at her for the better part of the afternoon. Rowland hadn't left her thoughts since the competition, and deep down she was desperate to know so much more. But she couldn't give herself away. She found herself lost in the thought of the possibilities tonight had to offer. This was her chance to really get to know Rowland, and she didn't want to mess it up.

Before she pushed through the doors, she found her mind flashing back to when she was a little girl. She had snuck out of her room that night to find him, because she wanted to tell him something before he left with his troops. Normally her father would come into her room and tell her goodbye before he left, but for some reason, this particular night he did not come see her. She thought something might have happened to him, so she went looking, finding him out at the base of the gate with a regiment of soldiers at attention in front of him as he paced on his horse. When she saw him, she hid behind a rock out of sight from her father and the rest of his army. She remembered it was raining, and the lightening flashed off the armor of the soldiers.

"Men." She heard her father's voice as if he was standing right next to her. Her breath was heavy, and she could feel her blood frozen from the icy rain. "You have fought bravely these last few years. I could never be more proud of what we have accomplished and the bravery I have seen. These past many months we have watched our brothers die for our cause, and we have seen many victories, and many defeats. Tonight we will make our final stand with these monsters. Tonight we leave behind our lives, our families, and our homes to be with our brothers wherever they may be." His voice raised to a yell as he raised his sword. "Tonight we finish this!" The soldiers shouted out in response.

Regina could hear herself screaming for her father, but the thunder and shouts of the men overpowered her small voice. She watched her father kick at his horse and take off down the road out of the kingdom, never to see him again. She ran out from behind the rocks onto the road where the soldiers marched past her, oblivious to the tiny girl as the rain muddied the road beneath them.

A strange voice echoed in her head. "You're Majesty?"

Her memory melted away as her eyes flickered open. She looked around, finding a servant who had approached her timidly.

"You're Majesty are you alright?" He asked her. She brushed a lock of hair from her face, cleared her throat and pulled her shoulders back, then nodded to the servant who routinely opened the heavy doors.

She spotted Rowland standing in front of the fireplace looking up at her father's painting hanging above the mantle. The flames from the fire glowed golden around the Knight's body, showing the deep red colors that decorated his uniform. She stood in the shadow of the door, waiting to make her presence known. She watched as Rowland nervously pulled on his uniform, making sure there were no wrinkles or stains. He was interestingly attractive in the glow of the fire.

She began towards him and spoke before she emerged from the shadows.

"That was my father's favorite piece of work from the war." Regina smiled, noticing she had startled Rowland, who apparently was so wrapped up in straightening his uniform that he didn't hear the doors open or close.

"You're majesty." Emma whipped around throwing her red cape behind her and bowing awkwardly.

"My father had that painted a few years after the Ogre Wars started. He always told me stories of battles he had fought and won. As far as I know he never lost a battle, or at least he was never around to admit it." Regina walked up and stood dangerously close to Emma, looking up at the painting, a faint smile pulled across her lips

Emma's eyes were frozen on Regina as she walked up to her. She had never seen someone so beautiful, and didn't know whether to feel jealous or… something else. She felt her stomach jump into her throat and found it difficult to talk or think of anything other than the woman standing in front of her. She wanted to look elsewhere, but found herself unable, still trying to take in Regina in the glow of the room.

Regina reminisced in the memory of her father before turning to meet Emma's stare. "Are you alright, Sir Rowland?" Regina questioned, seeing his face as anything other than normal.

Emma snapped out of her stare and pushed her chest out trying to hide her obvious astonishment of the Queen.

"I can only imagine that he was an honorable man. This war has gone on much longer than it should have. It must have been hard not having him around." Emma stated, her brain reeling for the right words. What has she gotten herself into? Why was Regina having this effect on her? She had been around her before, during the first dinner, as well as at the competition, but nothing made her feel this overwhelmed by her presence, knowing that they were the only two in the room.

Regina gazed up and down Rowland examining him. She could tell there was passion behind his words, but she wasn't sure what was driving that passion. Possibly he knew what it was like to miss a father during the wars. She looked down his red and gold robes which fit him quite nicely and his hazel eyes dug deep into her, tearing her apart, nerve by nerve.

"Yes it was." She finally answered, turning away from him. "I would not be who I am today without him. This keeps him with me, always."

After a moment of silence she turned back towards Rowland. "Would you like some wine Sir Rowland?" She motioned toward the table overflowing with food.

"Yes, your majesty. Please allow me." Emma collected herself and awkwardly made her way over to the table. _Get it together Emma. It's just dinner. Just get through this and keep your head. _Emma reached for the wine glasses, hoping that her shaking hands would go unnoticed, and made her way back to the fireplace where Regina stood. She couldn't help but continue to examine Regina as she made her way back. Her dressed fit snug against her body and the jewels flowing down her back gently kissed her skin at the slightest movement.

"A toast! To you, Sir Rowland, for winning the first challenge." Regina lifted her glass to Emma's.

"Thank you, your majesty." Emma gave a slight nod and smiled as their glasses met ringing through the hall. Emma didn't take her eyes off Regina while she drank.

"Tell me Sir Rowland, what brings you here to my palace? Besides the obvious. What made you want to be a part of this competition?" Regina took a second quick sip of her wine and sat down in a large red velvet chair across from the fireplace; her eyes never leaving Emma's.

Emma's mind was racing with something to say. _Stay calm. _"Well your majesty, I've always dreamed of traveling through the entire realm. I figured this would be an opportunity to at least see some of yours which I have heard so many stories about. And if I wasn't able to succeed in the obvious reason, then at least I would have been able to experience this beautiful Kingdom." Emma's heart began beating faster as she anticipated Regina's response.

"You've chosen a strange way to see my Kingdom." Regina raised an eyebrow. "After all, what would you do if you won these competitions? It's hard to say you would be able to travel much, at least for leisure. The hope of you seeing it all may be fairly slim." Regina took another sip of her wine as her curiosity grew. Regina felt her heart pound in her chest. This was what she had been waiting for all day. Her subconscious was going insane. _He's hiding something. What is it? I want to know everything about you. How you tick. Do I look as nervous as I feel? Surely not. He keeps looking at me. Those eyes._ Regina struggled to push her thoughts away by adjusting herself in her chair. She wanted to gulp down her wine, but settled with numerous small sips, hoping to keep her nerves at bay for the time being.

Emma chuckled and a small smile crept along her face. "The way I look at it is, whether for leisure or conquest, traveling doesn't change. What I see doesn't change. The beauty of the world is more than any man could ever dream of seeing in one lifetime." Emma felt herself becoming more animated as she spoke. "You see what you want to see. Whether I've traveled the entire kingdom or a small seemingly insignificant part, it's what I see in it that counts."

Emma saw a thin smile form on Regina's face, and darted her eyes toward the painting to keep from completely losing control. "Your father saw a lot in his time here. But only you know what he really saw. Those stories he told you, they were not out of some book he read, or painting he saw. He experienced what he told you, and he shared it with you. You feel like you've been to those places he's described in his stories, not because you were, but because he was." Regina couldn't take her eyes off him as he spoke. Where had this man come from? "So you see, it doesn't matter what you've actually seen, it's what you take and share of what you've seen."

Emma stared into the fire and watched the flames dance around. Regina was lost in Emma's words, and how eloquently they were spoken. She had never heard a man speak that way before. She felt herself searching for a thought, but her mind was lost and she couldn't grab hold of anything. She took a deep breath, looking into the flames hoping to see something that would pull her back to this moment.

She pushed her eyebrows together, at last allowing her mind to wonder to something familiar. Graham. Even with her fascination for this other man, her mind still found solace in the only stable man in her life. Her father was not the only man who had told her stories of what it was like to fight. The first time she saw Graham at the palace, he had come to receive a medal, which by unfortunate circumstance was the same week the King had died from some rare form of food poisoning. Graham had often sat with her through the nights, telling her stories, warding off the demons that seemed to haunt her. It had taken her a while to realize that things were going to be different. Graham softened the blow of the following weeks after the King's death.

"What do you see here? In my Kingdom?" Regina brought herself back, rubbing her thumb on the edge of her wine glass.

Emma swallowed hard, looking back at Regina. She knew what she wanted to say truthfully, but she knew she couldn't say it exactly. She didn't want Regina to be aware of the feelings slowly growing inside her. _I'm here because I am selfish. I'm here because I don't have a purpose in my life. I'm here because I am unhappy. Selfish._

Emma set her eyes on Regina without falter. "Honestly, I have never seen anything as beautiful as I've seen in my short time here. It's places like this that steal men's hearts and never lets them leave. It's hard for me to express my growing love for this kingdom. I have only known it for a short time, but I can tell you, it will forever be the most amazing place I've ever set my eyes on." Emma held her breath after she finished. She was oddly impressed by her own answer, hoping it wasn't too much at one time. She hoped that her attempt to disguise her words as what she thought about the kingdom itself, not Regina, was unnoticeable.

"Sir Rowland, you continue to impress me. Whoever has kept you locked up in your kingdom has less sense than any I've ever known. You seem to have a lot to offer this world. Words that haven't been spoken yet. I like that."

Emma felt a sensation crawl up her back and she let her eyes move down to her hands, embarrassed at herself for knowing this was all just some sort of game. It wasn't real.

"My lady, you give me too much credit."

She noticed Regina's curious stare and couldn't find any other words to say. After a moment of silence Regina stood from her seat.

"Well Sir Rowland why don't we sit and eat. I'm sure you are hungry after the day's activities."

"Yes your majesty." They walked over to the table. Emma's thoughts racing through this current situation. _What am I doing here? I'm not cut out for this. What if I win this? Will I have to pretend to be Sir Rowland for the rest of my life? I can only hide it for so long. What about Ruby? There are too many things that would give me away. She has to suspect something. She is hiding it well if she is. Look at her. No don't look. I can't help but look. She is so beautiful. Help._

As they ate, they continued with small talk about things around the kingdom and Emma's past. Emma did her best to come up with the most convincing back story without sounding ridiculous or completely spilling the truth. It was light conversation but the weight of the unspoken felt heavy in the air. The pressure in Emma's chest made it hard to breathe. She forced herself to eat, even though her appetite was swallowed up by her nerves. Regina barely touched her food, and Emma noticed.

"How do you like the meal?" Regina asked as she took a sip of wine.

"This food is delicious your majesty." Emma wiped her face and laid her napkin across her plate. "I don't think I could eat another bite, or I might burst out of this uniform."

"Well I'm glad you enjoyed it. You've earned it in more than one way." Regina finished her third glass of wine. She had never drank this much before. "However, as much as I've enjoyed our evening I think I must excuse myself for the night." Regina rose and Emma followed, bowing respectfully. Regina didn't really want to leave. She wanted to stay there and talk with Rowland all night, or forever if she could. Everything about him felt so good to her, and she was sure if he asked her to run away with him in this moment, she would. Rowland was like a breath of fresh air from the outside. Someone who could tell her how things were outside the castle walls and outside the Kingdom. But something… perhaps someone was holding her back.

"Thank you, your majesty, for allowing me your company for the night. I have enjoyed myself as well." Emma smiled at Regina, not knowing exactly what she should say for the departure, hoping to think of something clever to keep the woman with her, but failed.

Regina nodded her head, "I do wish you the best of luck in tomorrow's competition. I look forward to seeing how you do." She turned and made her way to the entrance of the hall.

Emma continued to stand, captivated, as she watched Regina walk away through the hall and out the large mahogany doors. She slumped back into her chair taking a deep breath and relaxed for the first time all night, staring at the two candle flames dancing in front of her eyes. Her vision continued down and paused, staring at her half full glass of wine. She leaned forward until she could see her reflection in the blood red liquid. She tapped her fingers on the medal cup causing the liquid to ripple and distort her reflection. Then, grabbing hold of it with both hands, she gulped down all of it. _What is happening to me? _"God help me." She whispered to herself.

It took everything Emma had to move her body from the table and make her way to the huge doors. Maybe she drank too much wine, or her nerves were still on hiatus from dinner, or both. Probably both. She didn't know how long she had stayed in the Great Hall after Regina left, but she knew it had been well over an hour. She had finally caught her breath by the time she made it back to her room, falling shamelessly onto her bed.

She quickly disrobed and could feel the air returning to her lungs. She had never felt this way before. Her brain racked for the answers but she couldn't find any. _This was really happening. This was real._ She sat on her bed and stared up at the ceiling as Regina took over her thoughts. She buried her head in her hands trying to push the thoughts away, but they remained. She was in deeper than she thought she ever could have been. She was not ready for this, and she felt like she needed to find a way out now before everything got out of control. _No. I can do this. I can figure out a way to fix this. I have to._

Her eyes locked on the ceiling going over the evening again and again in her head. She was convinced Regina was never going to leave her mind. Maybe it was the wine talking but her emotions felt like they were on overdrive. She closed her eyes and rolled over hoping that her brain would silence long enough for her to fall asleep. Before she knew it, she was off into her dreams, falling into the darkness of her conscious.


	16. Chapter 16

**Hello! Hope everyone did well on finals if you are still doing those. I've been done for quite a while but i know a few people who are almost done. **

**Regina back story coming your way. A little domestic violence just fyi. I've seen trigger warnings on here before, but this is really not that serious enough. I don;t go into much detail about it. **

**The ending to this is coming a bit slower than I had hoped, but i'm slowly building. I have actually started a different story for now to help get some ideas that are building up out so maybe i can finish this one! :)**

**Anywho... enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter 16**

"Regina!" Her body stiffened at her name. She had heard it some much recently, she could hardly stand it anymore. The book in her hand fell heavily into her lap as she thought about getting up and following the command. "REGINA!" His voice boomed again, this time much closer to her. He heard his boots pounding on the floor getting closer and closer.

"In here." She didn't feel like yelling. She heard his boots hesitate then emerge in the door frame of her study.

"What do you think you are doing? You are my wife, and you _will _come when I call you." He marched up to her, grabbing her arm and pulling her up from the chair. The book in her lap fell on its pages to the floor with a heavy thud. She attempted to pull away from him, but he was too strong. She resisted as much as she could, but his body overwhelmed her.

"Look at me." He ordered. She avoided his constantly lustful eyes. "I said look at me!" He yelled, grabbing her face with his free hand, forcing it towards him. She ripped it away.

"Let me go!"

His hand came down hard on her cheek. She wrenched over, but his grip on her arm held her up right in front of him. She could taste the blood in her mouth.

"You ungrateful little witch. I bring you here, to my castle, take you as my wife, make you a Queen, and this is how you repay me? By acting like a spoiled arrogant woman? I am your King and you _will_ learn to obey me." Her tears flowed down her face. His hand printed and burning on her skin. She looked up at him and she could see how bloodshot his eyes were, his irises black as night. He looked evil, like a devil who had come to steal her soul.

"Please." She managed the terrified word through the pain, wishing he would just let go of her so she could run as far away as possible. His voice already haunted her dreams, with his yelling, and his spitting, and his constant abuse, and she couldn't take it anymore. She felt trapped, like a slave who had nowhere else to go.

"Your majesty?" Another commanding voice came from the doorway.

"What?!" He snapped back. His hand still firmly gripped around Regina's arm. She cradled her cheek, wiping stray tears off her face.

"Captain Thomas is here to see you. He has news from the front."

The King turned back to her. "You got lucky this time. You watch your tongue from now on, do you hear me? I will break you one day." He released her arm, and her body dropped to the floor. She listened to his footsteps as they disappeared out of the room, leaving her to her own sobs. She wrapped her arms around her chest leaning back on the chair behind her. Her tears flowed faster than she could control. The book she was reading laid folded up next to her. She picked it up and hurled it across the room, knocking a number of books off the shelf.

"My lady?" A young voice came through the room. "Are you okay?" Isabela rushed to her, brushing her hair from her face, inspecting her cheek. "You're bleeding, we need to clean it."

Regina nodded, taking hold of Isabela's out stretched hand, painfully pulling herself off the floor. Isabela kept one hand around Regina's waist as a crutch as they made their way to Regina's room.

"Come on my lady, let's get you cleaned up." This seemed to have become a normal routine for Isabela and Regina. One fight after another, beating her down, only to have Isabela come to her rescue. If it wasn't for Isabela, Regina would probably be dead by now just like the King's daughter, who not long after Regina's rescue suddenly died of the flu. Or at least that's what people were told.

Isabela set her down on her bed, quickly grabbing a cloth and dampening it in the water bowl from the bedside table. She sat next to Regina, pushing Regina's braid behind her back, and dabbed the cut on Regina's upper lip. Regina winced and pulled away.

"If you don't let me clean it, it will get infected." Isabela pleaded. Regina clenched her jaw, allowing Isabela to continue.

"You can say it. I know you want to." Regina looked over Isabela's concerned face.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Isabela got up and rinsed the blood from the cloth and brought it back over to finish cleaning the cut.

"Don't play dumb. I know you hate me for the way I let him treat me." Regina's eyes fell to her lap, and she stared at her still shaking hands. Isabela dropped the cloth on the table, and sighed.

"I could never hate you Regina. It just hurts me to see you like this. Especially now. He's cut you this time." Isabela took Regina's hand squeezing it tightly in hers, lifting her head to inspect her lip.

"I don't know what to do." This time, Regina let the tears flow. Isabela wrapped her arm around her. Regina laid her head down on Isabela's lap, her entire body crying out all the pain the last two year had given her, both physically and emotionally.

When Regina had calmed down, she could feel the dull pain begin to set in on her arm from where the King had grabbed her. She sat up and wiped the moisture from her face. Isabela stood and finished rinsing the cloth in the now blood tinted water.

"I'll bring you some fresh water so you can wash your face in the morning. You will need to keep that cut clean. I'm afraid it will unfortunately leave a scar." Isabela frowned.

"Well it will make for a good story someday." Regina tried to lighten the mood, for both their sakes. "Isabela?"

"Yes my lady?"

"Will you stay with me tonight? I'm afraid I don't want to be alone." Regina squeezed her hands together, looking up at the young girl. Regina had often laid awake for hours at night, fearing that the next day would come too soon. The next day, the next fight, the next heavy hand across her face.

Isabela sat next to Regina and compassionately smiled, taking her hands in her own. "Of course I will my lady." Regina smiled back, bringing up Isabela's hand and kissing it.

Regina couldn't remember exactly when she fell asleep, but when she woke the next morning she was alone in her bed. Her arm throbbed underneath her, and she turned to relieve some of the pressure. Her cheek and lip felt swollen but when she got up to check herself in the mirror, she found that it didn't look as bad as it felt. The cut on her upper lip was quiet substantial, and she agreed that it would probably leave a scar. She guessed he must have caught her with one of his rings this time.

Isabela had brought a fresh bowl of water as well, and Regina smiled imagining her sneaking around her room early this morning trying not to spill water everywhere.

She dressed herself in something that would cover the bruises on her arm. The last thing she needed was for word to spread about her relationship with the King. Not that his recent outward attraction to other women at parties gave anyone anything to talk about. She preferred to keep her business out of the public light as much as she could.

She took her usual route to the kitchen where Isabela was preparing breakfast.

"Hey." Regina sighed, picking up a piece of bread from the table in the middle of the room. "What's for breakfast?" She bit into the bread.

"Fish and eggs… and fresh bread." Isabela snatched the loaf from Regina's hand and placed it back on the table, raising an eyebrow up at her before turning back to the oven. "Your lip looks much better this morning, did you clean it when you woke up?"

"Yes mother." Regina teased picking pieces off the bread and popping them in her mouth. "Speaking of mothers, have you talked to yours lately?" She rested her elbows on the wooden table in front of her.

"No. The King has hardly let me off the grounds, let alone given me time to write a letter." Isabela wiped a bead of sweat from her forehead, reaching across Regina for some spices. Regina sighed as her eyes wondered around the table, inspecting the spread of food across the wood.

"What are we doing here Isabela? How did we end up in such a dry place?" Regina walked over to the window, and stared out across the field. "What did we ever do to get stuck here?" She popped another piece of bread in her mouth.

"It's a little early to be debating life's obstacles." Isabela gave her a concerned look. "Why don't we just worry about breakfast? Here, eat." She handed Regina a plate full of eggs and a little bit of fish.

"Smells delicious." Regina grabbed a fork from a drawer and dug into the plate. The two women were quiet while Regina ate, not that Regina could have said anything with her mouth full of eggs. Isabela washed a few dishes while she hummed to herself. When Regina finished her plate she took it over to the sink.

"Do you remember me telling you about that soldier I saw when I was visiting some of the camps?" Regina picked up a towel and a plate, nonchalantly drying it off.

"Vaguely. That was years ago." She looked up at Regina. "Why?"

"I don't know." Regina mumbled.

"You wouldn't have brought it up if it wasn't important." Isabela nudged her playfully with her elbow.

"No it's not important, I was just thinking about him yesterday while I was reading my book. I wonder what happened to him, or if he is still alive." She placed the plate back on the counter.

"I'm sure he is fine. Who knows, maybe he found some buried treasure somewhere and is sitting pretty on a nice spot of land." Isabela teased.

"Well he would be much better off than us." She tossed the towel on the counter and sighed. Isabela giggled. "Is something funny?" Regina asked raising an eyebrow at her.

"No your majesty." Isabela tried to contain her smile, but she couldn't hold it in. Both women started laughing at each other. Their worlds seemed so bleak, yet it was moments like this when Regina cherished her relationship with Isabela. She wouldn't be able to get through the day without her cheering her up, or coming to her rescue.

"What would I do without you Isabela? You are truly my only friend here." Regina spoke through her lasting giggles.

"Your only friend _here_? Do you have another best friend somewhere that I don't know about?" Isabela wiped her hands on her apron eyeing Regina playfully.

"Oh yes, I forgot to tell you. My friend Helga, very pretty, really tall, big feet, you may know her, she comes to visit me sometimes. We talk for hours, about you of course, and then we laugh and just have a grand time." Regina gave Isabela a serious look. They stared at each other for a while, seeing who would crack first. Regina usually won out, but this time she couldn't. She threw her head back in laughter, pulling Isabela in for a hug. This may be the best breakfast Regina had had in a long time.

"Come on, you are going to be late for your riding lesson." Isabela pushed Regina out of the kitchen.

"But I don't want to go." Regina whined childishly. "We should have a girl's day!"

"You have no idea how great that sounds, but you have things to do and I have chores. I'll come find you when I'm done and we can laugh and talk all through the night, and we can even do each other's hair." Isabela flipped her hand in her hair mockingly.

"Oh fine. Come find me. Don't forget!" Regina called back. Isabela waved at her as she stepped through the door and up the stairs.

Regina peaked down the hallway to make sure she was clear. The last thing she needed was for someone to come and ruin the day she was having. She was definitely going to treat herself to an extra-long ride today.

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**Don't know about you but Isabela is my favorite! :D**


	17. Chapter 17

**Hello! Long time no see. Sorry it's been a while, we got a new addition to the family. A puppy! Her name is cookie and she is just 6 weeks old! Super cute! **

**Anyway! Enjoy the nest chapter! :)**

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**CHAPTER 17**

The sun rose high above the kingdom the morning after the competition and the light through the window woke Emma from her sleep. She sat up and sleepily blinked her eyes, squinting in the sunlight lighting up her room. She stroked her hands through her short hair and rubbed her eyes hoping to shake the sleepless night off her expression. She slid off the side of her bed next to her bedside table. The glass pitcher of water Isabela had brought her the night before was still mostly full, so Emma picked it up and filled her wash bowl on top of her drawers. She bent over and splashed the water on her face, surprised that it was still fairly cool. She rubbed the water around her eyes and through her short blonde hair, which she knew was probably dirty. Blindly, she reached for the towel lying next to the bowl and dabbed her face until it was dry.

When she opened her eyes she looked at herself in the mirror above the bowl. This was the first time she had really examined herself after transforming into Sir Rowland. She pulled her hand up to her cheek and followed the structure of her face, examining it for any blemishes. _Surprisingly none. _She leaned forward and stared into her own eyes which seemed to be the one thing Rumple had left that was actually hers. She got her hazel eyes from her grandmother. Snow White and Charming both have very deep brown eyes, and she always teases them, claiming she must be adopted, but they assure her she is just a special and rare beauty. Now, even with her now squared, boyish figure, she was glad that she had something to hold onto the past.

Emma took a deep breath and slowly let everything out allowing her body to relax as she released the air. She felt like she had a restless night, and by the looks of her bedspread she was probably right. Just then a small knock came from her door. Emma took a few steps over to the door and opened it just far enough to where she could stick her head out, trying to hide her unprotected body.

"Good Morning Sir." Isabela gave an energetic bow, and a smile stretched across her delicate face. Emma blinked, slowly processing the girl in front of her. She remembered her from last night as the girl who brought her the water she just washed her face with. Emma struggled to remember her name. _Isabela._

"The Queen has sent me to present you with the schedule for today. Breakfast will be served at 7:30 in the Great Hall. Immediately following breakfast there will be a tour through the castle grounds. Your lunch will be served at 12:30. Each knight has been scheduled a separate lunch time with their respective Kings and Queens to prepare for the competition this evening." _Great. Dinner with mom and dad. _Emma chuckles to herself, and then returned her attention to the girl. "Competition will resume at 4:00 in the Northwest Arena behind the stables. The Queen expects each knight to be prompt and proper, because she does not like to wait. Is there anything I can assist you with this morning?" Isabela crossed her hands in front of her and smiled, awaiting Emma's answer.

"Um…no. I think I have everything I need. Thank you Miss Isabela. I will do my best to be prompt and proper for the Queen this afternoon." Emma gave a playful wink at Isabela, causing her to blush and her eyes fell to the floor.

"As you wish Sir Rowland." Isabela gave a quick curtsy without taking her eyes of the floor before turning and heading down the sunlit hallway. Emma quietly closed her door and sighed, leaning up against the wooden door.

She bowed her head and closed her eyes, allowing the images of Regina she had stored in her memory the night before to come through. She smiled as she saw her dark hair falling down her delicate, exposed shoulders. She followed the image as it showed the elegant deep red dress hugging ever curve on her body and then falling to the floor into a pool of soft suede. She could see herself as if she was outside of her body, and watched herself move toward the Queen. She felt something deep in her stomach that she had never felt before. She watched as she saw herself move closer to Regina, close enough to feel the radiating heat from her body.

She blinked, and suddenly she was back inside herself and she could see Regina staring into her through those unpredictable eyes and felt her breath so close to her. She felt her hand move up to Regina's waist and she couldn't control it, not that she wanted anything different. Her fingers moved along the smooth silk material to the smoothness of her shoulders and up to her cheek. Regina pushed her face into Emma's hand. Emma felt her breathing accelerate, and she pushed Regina's hair over her shoulder and let it fall down her exposed back. Their eyes met again, and Emma couldn't look away. She felt paralyzed as if under a magic spell that was controlling her every thought and movement.

Then, Regina's image began to fade, her figure disappearing into the darkness falling over the room. "No." Emma's own voice startled her from her dream, and she opened her eyes, the morning light and the familiar forms of her room penetrated her mind. She looking down at her hands and they were shaking. She clenched her fists trying to stop it but it was no use. _What is happening to me? _

She strode back over to her water bowl and splashed water on her face again. She could feel the tears welling up in her eyes but she refused to let them fall. This is not at all what she needed at a time like this. To be distracted by a woman. It's like she was forgetting her own past, her friends, and her family.

After drying her face and subsiding the tears she walked over to her wardrobe and swung open the tall doors. The mirrors on each door reflected in each other and she could see herself from her peripherals. After examining everything she had, she came to the conclusion that despite looking like a man, she still couldn't seem to find anything to wear. She finally settled on a pair of black pants, a white button down shirt with a ruffled collar, and a heavy blue coat with intricately sewn designs around the collar and waist. She slipped her black boots over her pants, buttoned down her shirt and pulled the coat over her shoulders. She examined her work in the mirrors of her wardrobe doors, pleased with how she looked. She took a deep breath, rubbed her hands together and walked toward the door. "Here we go."

When Emma arrived at the Great Hall she poked her head in the doors to see if anyone else was there yet. The hall was ghostly quiet, and she was relieved to get some time alone to herself for at least a few minutes. She closed the door behind her and walked over to the table set up in the center of the hall. Walking the perimeter of the table, she examined all the food that had been set, spread from end to end in the center of the table. There were eggs, pork, chicken, potatoes, and anything else she could think of lining the length of the table. She closed her eyes and inhaled the familiar scent of sweet honey, and it brought back memories of when she was a child and used to sneak into the pantry and steal the freshly made jars from the cabinets when no one was watching. She always thought it tasted better when it was freshly made. Somehow the honey they had at the table was never as good as the honey she stole. Emma smiled at the memory.

Suddenly the door the Great Hall slammed with so much force Emma's heart nearly leapt into her throat.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't Rowland, the boy wonder, archery prodigy." Lourde scoffed and stumbled through the hall, barely able to keep his balance and his words slurred as he spoke. "I've been waiting to get some alone time with you." As he approached Emma she was taken aback by the smell of alcohol on his breath and she winced when he spoke again. "You're not so intimidating are you?" Lourde stumbled but caught himself on a chair as he eyed Emma. "I bet I could take you right now." Lourde's words were long and drawn out and when he started at Emma, he stumbled over his own feet falling face first onto the ground at Emma's feet. She stepped sideways to avoid a direct hit.

"Well lads would you look at that. Seems our pretty Prince Lourde has spent the night hiding away in the wine cellar." Frey's booming voice echoed through the hall, quickly being covered up by the laughter of Jones and Leonardo.

"Well I'd say the poor mate couldn't handle his embarrassing defeat yesterday." Jones commented as he walked over to Lourde who was struggling to regain his stance. Jones bent over him picking at his coat with his hook. "I say mate, are these the same robes you were wearing yesterday?" Jones laughed while Frey and Leonardo joined in. Emma covered her mouth straining not to laugh as well. Lourde pushed himself up on his knees, quickly out of breath from the small movements.

"Shut up!" Lourde swung his arm to swat away Jones, but Jones quickly stepped aside and Lourde found nothing but air nearly falling from his knees. "You are all imbeciles. I could kill you all right now if I wanted to." He grabbed a hold of the nearest chair and pulled himself up straining to speak as he did. Frey and Jones could no longer control their already uncontrollable laughter.

"Well we are all quaking in our boots mate. But let's get some food in you before you try for another noble adventure shall we?" Jones patted Lourde's shoulder with his good hand. Lourde shoved him off quickly leaning against his chair for balance. Jones chuckled as he heavily sat in his chair at the head of the table, no doubt trying to show his dominance over the other four competitors. Emma and the other princes followed suit and they all began digging into the devilish food. Lourde reached for the wine glass first and filled his cup up until it was almost overflowing.

"Don't you think you should take it easy on the spirits this morning Lourde?" Frey boomed with a mouthful of pork.

Lourde came back quickly. "Who are you, my mother?" He grabbed the glass, surprisingly without spilling it and took a large gulp, leaning back in his chair pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Speaking of your mother how is she? I haven't heard from her in some time. I miss her letters." Frey returned as his head cocked back in laughter while Lourde slowly processed the joke.

"You shut your mouth you cretin before I shove that pork so far up you'll never go hungry again." Lourde jumped from his seat, slamming his wine glass on the table spraying it across the food in front of him, but he fell back immediately falling off balance. Jones's head fell back in laughter as he patted Frey on the shoulder.

"Frey, leave the poor man alone. Clearly he has mother issues!" Frey chuckled as he took another obnoxiously large bite of the chicken in his hand. Hook tapped his hook on the table rhythmically then grabbed his glass and stood from his seat. "A toast lads, to Lourde for being such a good sport, and to the God's, may they bestow luck upon us all."

"Here!" Emma, Jones, and Frey stated simultaneously. Leonardo gave a small motion with his glass, without saying a word, then took a delicate sip. Lourde rolled his eyes without lifting his cup, and took another huge gulp.

Emma could feel her stomach bulging as she dropped her fork onto the empty plate in front of her. She couldn't help but stuff herself with everything that was offered in the center of the table. Lourde had passed out on his plate before he even got two bites of his eggs, and Leonardo neatly dabbed the corners of his mouth and folded his napkin on his plate properly. Frey was still working on the heap piled in front of him, stuffing spoon full after spoon full of food in his mouth, and Emma wondered where it all went. Jones sighed heavily, and leaned back in his chair, he patted his stomach and belched, clearly content with himself for morning. Emma rolled her eyes, and Lourde shot up from his nap at the echo; an egg stuck to his cheek.

"So, Rowland? Where did Snow and Charming find a little runt like you? The lot must have run out on them, leaving you there only option eh?" Jones sat up and motioned at Frey and they both chuckled at his smartness.

"I'd have to ask you the same question Jones, since you are oddly handicapped." Emma smiled at her own repute and crossed her arms, content on her position in the conversation. Before Jones could get another word in, a servant walked in and bowed to the company.

"Gentlemen. If you will please follow me, your tour of the grounds will begin shortly."

The servant stood at attention as the competitors made their way towards the door. Jones snuck up behind Emma as they walked out and laid a heavy hand on her back, knocking her shoulders forward.

"You better watch your back lad. Sometimes it's hard for me to control myself. I'd hate for something to happen to you." Jones eyed his hook and Emma caught the reflection of light that bounced off of it into her face. Her heart raced a little as Jones stepped ahead of her through the door.

"Making friends. Everywhere we go, just making friends." She whispered to herself as she followed the group out of the hall.

The tour was torturously long, and Emma was disappointed she hadn't seen Regina all morning. When the coast was clear, she darted away from the group down a dark hall, hoping to get some peace and quiet after this morning's breakfast. She didn't know where she was going but wherever it was, was better than sticking with the group. As she walked she became lost in her thoughts, looking around at all of the ornate decorations delicately placed throughout the castle. She wasn't sure how long she wondered, but in however large or small a time frame, she found herself in an area she did not recognize. Although she didn't really see it as a bad thing. At least he was away from the other Princes and maybe had a chance of running into the Queen.

When she heard footsteps behind her, she hurried and hid in a dark corner allowing two guards to walk by, their armor clanking with each step. When they turned down the next hall Emma came out of the shadow and hurried around the next closest corner in the opposite direction hoping to make the distance between her and the guards as large as possible. She hardly had time to stop before she collided with a girl coming around the corner. The books the girl was carrying fell around their feet, and the girl let out a surprised squeak.

"Sir Rowland my sincere apologies. I was not paying attention to where I was going. Please forgive me." Isabela quickly recovered and bent down to pick up the mess of books on the ground. Emma bent down to help. "Sir please it was my mistake. I'm always so clumsy." Isabela moved a piece of hair that had fallen out of her face as she reached for her books.

"It's quite alright Miss, I find myself to be clumsy sometimes as well. Sometimes we just get lost in our own thoughts, and we forget to pay attention. Helps keep me on my toes I guess." Emma smiled as Isabela looked up at her embarrassingly. Emma reached for the last book. "Well I think this is the last of them." Emma handed the book to Isabela "That's quite a lot of books for one girl." Emma joked. "Why don't I take some, surely you don't want to be stuck carrying all of them."

"Oh no sir, it's quite alright. I'm sure you have better things to do than help a poor girl with her books." Isabela shifted the stack in her arms awkwardly.

"Well I've already escaped from the prison of the castle tour, so the way I look at it, I'm not sure what other kind of trouble I could get into before lunch, unless you have any ideas? Besides I could use some company, and possibly a guide. I seem to have gotten myself lost." Emma smiled and winked at the girl. She answered with an awkward smile as her cheeks flushed. Emma reached for the books and shifted out of the way allowing Isabela to lead. "After you, milady."

"Thank you. That's very kind of you." Isabela appreciated the lighter weight in her arms and brushed the lose hair out of her face and behind her ears. They walked in silence for a little while down the long hall and Emma looked curiously at the books in her hands. She read the titles silently in her head. "_Understanding the Human Anatomy" "Creatures and Diseases" "Dr. Thad's Complete Journal of 3__rd__ Realm Medicine." _

_ "Y_ou certainly aren't the light reader are you?" Emma joked as she flipped through the pages of the first book. "No pictures." Isabela shook her head shyly as she stared at the floor ahead of her. "Why are you reading all of this anyway?" Emma asked genuinely. Isabela continued to stare down at the ground without answering. "Please you don't have to be so proper around me. Isabela right? I remember you from last night, and this morning." Isabela looked up at Emma, studying her face. Emma gave her a reassuring smile, but Isabela remained silent. "Well if you don't tell me, I'll have to assume you stole them, and I recall a couple of guards walking this way a few minutes ago."

"No please!" Isabela stopped and begged Emma. "I didn't steal them, I promise! The Queen, she allows me to study when my chores are finished. Please don't tell them, please!"

"Ah so she does speak." Emma cocked her head back in laughter. Isabela tried to hide her worried smile, but was unsuccessful. "Don't worry. I quite fancy women who educate themselves. When I was at home I would…" Emma stopped herself short, realizing she was saying too much, nearly giving herself away. She cleared her throat. "Ah never mind you don't want to hear old knight's stories." Emma smirked avoiding Isabela's stare and turned her attention to the ground.

"You'd be surprised what kind of stories fancy me. I may be stuck reading these dry textbooks, but I do enjoy tales of knights in shining armor, who travel hundreds of miles to save their true loves from evil creatures and magic."

"Oh yeah? What's your favorite tale?" Emma quite liked the company of Isabela. She wasn't a normal servant who did everything she was told and never spoke. She seemed like she truly wanted to live and learn about life and all its goodness.

"Hmm…" She thought. Emma chuckled at the seriousness of her face showing her deeper than necessary thinking. "I would have to say my favorite is Sleeping Beauty. Knights, dragons, princesses, evil queens, fairies… kind of has a little bit of everything."

"I've never heard of that one before." Emma pondered.

"Really? Oh it's wonderful." Isabela spoke passionately.

"I'm sure you will have to share it with me one day." Emma smiled, causing Isabela to blush again.

"How long have you been here?" Emma questioned after some silence had set in.

"Since I was 13. The King brought me here as punishment for stealing books. My parents were very poor, and The King told them that if they didn't release me to him, he would see to it that they would never make another dime again."

Emma was taken aback a moment by the story. "That must have been terrible. For all of you."

"It was at first. But then Regina… I mean the Queen arrived and everything changed."

"I couldn't imagine giving up a child. Your parents must have been beside themselves." Emma admitted, suddenly feeling very sorry for the young girl. She had pretty much spent her entire youth cooped up in this castle, waiting hand and foot on the King.

"Do you have any children back home?" Isabela asked innocently.

Emma hesitated in her step as her memories flooded her. She took a deep breath deciding how she would answer the question.

"Um, no I don't. I lost the ability to have children some years ago." Emma's head dropped down the books. She closed her eyes, feeling her body want to shake at the thought of the memory.

"Oh, I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have asked." Isabela's face fell into a frown.

"No, it's fine. I've just never really spoken about it. There is only one other person that knows." Emma's mind flashed to Ruby.

"Oh." Isabela spoke to the floor.

"It is quite a tale I must say. Maybe, if you've had your fill with these books, I can tell you the story." Emma forced a thin smile across her lips. Isabela hesitated to speak, and returned her smile.

"Well this is my room." Isabela stopped in front of a small wooden door, which was lit by a single flame above the right corner of the frame. "Thank you, I believe I can handle my books from here." Emma placed the books she was carrying in Isabela's arms.

"The pleasure was all mine Miss. I hope we bump into each other again sometime. Like I said, I'd love to hear some of those tales." Emma smiled and bowed. Isabela blushed and started into her room when Emma interrupted. "Um, I don't think you could possibly point me in the direction of my room do you?"

Isabela leaned out from her doorway. "Follow this hall until it ends, take a right, and then take the first left. Your room is the 4th one on the left."

"So close yet so far. Thank you."

"You're welcome." Emma waited until Isabela's door closed before she turned and made her way down the hall.

She took her time walking, this time paying attention to all the decor around her. She noticed a few murals, and she assumed they were high court officials because she didn't recognize them, but she wasn't sure, and figured it didn't really matter much. She stopped and examined one of the paintings of an old man, tracing the brush strokes with her fingers.

"Do not touch the art!" The guard's voice was low and unexpected, and Emma drew back her hand, startled by the sound. She turned to find the source of the voice, seeing the tall figure standing at attention at the end of the hall dressed in black armor that disguised him in the shadows. She walked up and stood in front of him, examining her reflection in his armor. She snapped herself into attention and found the deepest voice inside her she could muster.

"Yes, sir!" Then she winked and turned right, down the hall per Isabela's instructions.

When she finally made it to her room she looked at the window, judging the time by where the sun was in the sky she figured she had a little bit before lunch with her parents. It was high in front of her window, and she assumed it couldn't have been past noon yet. She figured she would use the time to get herself mentally prepared for that reunion. She was nervous already, not knowing how she was going to react to her parents. _Should I tell them everything? What if they don't believe me? Get it together. This is what you wanted right? Maybe. Yes. I miss Ruby._


	18. Chapter 18

**Happy Wednesday! Get ready for some Hunting Queen feels all over the place :)**

**Enjoy!**

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**Chapter 18**

Sweat poured down his face as Graham sat a mere three feet away from Regina, separated only by the King. He pretended he didn't notice everything about her. Like the way her body moved as she ate and drank, and the way her face lit up when she smiled, or how happy she looked watching the performers in front of them. He was completely overwhelmed by everything about her.

His thoughts were interrupted by a heavy hand on his shoulder. "Graham, what do you think? Isn't this party just spectacular?" The King bellowed above the music.

"Spectacular." Graham forced a smile and took a sip of his wine. He was still unsure whether or not she remembered him from all those years ago. She hadn't spoken a word to him all night, and when he was presented to the guests, she hardly blinked an eye for him. Why? He racked his brain for anything he could do for her to recognize him.

"My lady." A well-dressed young man approached the King's table, standing on the opposite side of where Regina was sitting. Graham eyed him suspiciously, anticipating his dishonorable intentions for approaching them.

"Sir Robin! How are things in your neck of the woods? Still fighting for the poor?" The King threw his head back drunkenly in laughter almost spilling his glass of wine on his heaping plate of food and Graham. Graham flinched in disgust, narrowing his eyes at the chiseled character standing at attention in front of them.

"The woods are fine your majesty." Robin turned his attention to Regina and stretched his hand out to her. "My lady, I would be honored if I could have this dance." His smile was devilish and Graham watched Regina as she stood, accepting the Prince's offer.

The King snorted. "Of course! The Queen needs someone to dance with. You go dance, and leave the Captain and I here to feast our eyes on the young prospects." He pushed Graham with a heavy shoulder, causing him to spill his bowl of soup all over his lap.

Graham shot up from his chair, the hot liquid smoldering his lap.

"Damn it." He mumbled under his breath. He looked up to find the party had nearly stopped to focus on the situation unfolding at the head of the table. Regina eyes connected with his for longer than a second and his embarrassment level shot through the roof. Suddenly he felt like they were the only two in the room as everything else faded out around them. This was not part of the plan to get her to notice him.

"Graham, sit down. Have another drink, you are much to sober." The King grabbed Graham by the shoulder pulling him down in his chair. Regina's dancing with Robin was driving him crazy. Two, three, four songs. Too many for just a casual dance. He followed them around the room, his heart skipping a beat when they came close to him. He could see her smiling, and was jealous that it was not for him. He wanted to be the one out there, holding her hands and twirling her around. But who was he kidding, he was a clunky soldier with two left feet.

"Graham where are you going? The party has just begun!" Graham heard the King shout at him when he excused himself from the table. As Graham moved for the doors, he glanced back into the room. The King had found solace in two beautiful women in his lap and Regina had taken up another dance with Robin. He was beginning to believe there was nothing left for him here.

He paced at the end of the hallway, wincing at every joyful holler he heard coming from the other side of the doors. His boots echoed down the hall and he counted his steps as he tried to bring himself together. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea. Regina had a life here, she was the Queen, and he was just a soldier. Why was he so drawn to her? He barely knew her, yet he felt like she was the reason why he was still breathing. If it wasn't for her, he would be dead.

He stopped mid pace and let out a long sigh, leaning his head back on his shoulders. He closed his eyes, shutting out the noise and the darkness around him. When he opened them, he spotted a rather large painting hanging above him that he hadn't noticed through his compulsive pacing.

It was her. It wasn't her. It looked like her. He stepped closer to the wall where he was an arms-length away from the painting. He studied the detail of the strokes dancing around and creating the deep burgundy of her dress. He followed the lines up her curves and to her neck. The skin looked so soft, despite the paint ridges, and he imagined what it would feel like. His fingers tingled at the thought.

"I never liked that painting." The voice hit him in his core racking through his body like a blade on his armor. He didn't even hear the door from the party open for someone to come through. His heart stung from the words pulsating through his head. He turned, and it was like the painting above him had jumped off the wall and was now standing in front of him. Was this a dream? No, she was real. She was always real.

"I did recognize you, in case you were wondering. You were the boy who spilled his soup on my first trip through some of the military stations. And you were the man who fell into my tent after the ambush at Jester's Ridge."

"Captain Graham Taylor at your service. But you can just call me Graham." His sheer terror of her presence was covered, hopefully, by a layer of confidence. She moved closer now and he could make out the details on her dress and her form underneath it gracefully falling down to the floor underneath the candle light of the hallway.

She was next to him now, both of them turning to face the giant painting above them. "You know I told the artist not to paint that background. It did nothing for my eyes." She joked, smirking up at her own painted reflection.

"I think they are perfect." The words were out before he could stop them and he immediately regretted them. "I'm sorry." He nervously cleared his throat. "That was completely inappropriate." He pulled his hand through his hair nervously.

She laughed a little. "It's quite alright. No need to apologize. Compliments are a rare thing these days. The King, well, he likes to spend most of his time keeping himself busy with other, more appealing, things." She averted her eyes down to her feet.

Graham wanted to say all the things he had been bottling up for the past seven years, all of which were trying to explode from his brain at the same time. He figured continuing the conversation would seem less… suspicious.

"Well it would be a hard find to press that your artist has made any murals as fine as this one. I do say, it is a masterpiece. I do hope you rewarded him well." He waited for her eyes to lift to his before he grinned and looked back up at the painting. His body was shaking beneath his uniform, and hoped it wasn't noticeable. He could feel her looking at him, burning through the leather around his body.

"Sir Graham I do believe you flatter me too much. We haven't even known each other more than a few moments, how do you not know I am not some evil queen?" She eyed him curiously awaiting his response. He immediately looked down at her with an almost concerned look on his face. Did she see herself as some terrible person?

"It's possible I guess. But I highly doubt it my lady." He kept his eyes trained on her. The music pounded through the wooden doors behind them, leaking its distasteful affections into the hallway.

"What makes you say that?" She played back, seeming to enjoy this cat and mouse game they had started. Graham soaked in all of her words, wishing this moment would never end.

"How do I know you are not an evil queen?" He mimicked the question, and let out a small snicker. He turned and leaned on the edge of a bench sitting next to him, crossing his arms and raising an eyebrow at her. She mimicked his stance waiting for his answer. "Because Evil Queens would usually enjoy the company of a good party. There are people there to fond over you and to give you gifts and make you feel special. All of this would be your sign to the world that even though you may do terrible things, people still love you. Though, in your case, I can see you find a need to escape such trivial things." He grinned, confident he had her at his grasp.

She grinned down at the floor, and pushed a piece of hair from her face. "You are very passionate about these things. And through your passion I do believe you may have found me out. These parties are... well... not exactly what I plan my day around. The King seems to favor them more than I."

"I can believe that. As a soldier, we don't get around much or have many parties. Occasionally we get a shipment of ale and turn it into a good night. But then it's back to work in the morning." He laughed at the memory of his men running around drunkenly through the camp. "If you don't mind me asking, your majesty, what _are _you trying to escape from? You are not an Evil Queen, so I know for a fact that some of those people in there might actually like you." He was very much curious, and though he could probably guess, he still wanted to hear it from her. He watched her intently, trying to figure out what thoughts were wondering around in that beautiful head of hers.

"Besides the fact that my husband has two women sitting on his lap? I guess I am running from my own shadow. But I can never seem to get away. It's stuck to me like some sort of parasite that you can't get rid of. No amount of time, no amount of distance can ever make it go away. And when I'm in there with all those people, it gets stepped on and in the way of everyone else. I just don't belong with them." She wiped a sudden chill from her nose, avoiding Graham's eyes and wondering why she was telling this man such things.

"Why do you stay?" He kicked himself immediately after asking. He may have over stepped his boundaries.

"What kind of question is that? This isn't exactly the ideal place to just get up and walk out. I'm married to the King." Annoyance had grown some in her voice. Graham could tell she was holding something back, and unfortunately he knew what it was like to want to run away from everything. But dropping everything and moving on tends to be much harder than either of them could know. "I'm sorry, I don't even know why I am telling you this. This is not appropriate conversation at a time like this." She cleared her throat, glancing back toward the doors when a roaring laughter came from the party inside.

"No, please, I apologize. It was not my place to ask." He respectfully stood up from the bench he was leaning on, realizing that this conversation had perhaps become too casual for the both of them. They stood there for a moment as the heaviness set in. Graham had many questions, but he didn't want to push his luck with the conversation. Before he could manage to say anything else, the sound from the party suddenly grew then faded and they heard the heavy frame of the door echo down the hall.

"Your majesty?" A voice called out.

"Yes, here!" She called back, shooting a glance up at Graham and then turning toward the voice.

"The King has requested your presence." A servant girl who Graham recognized as the one who showed him in the night before, stepped into the light near them.

"Thank you Isabela, I am coming." She looked at Graham hesitantly. "That's my call I guess. I hope you do rejoin us inside soon."

"Absolutely, you're Majesty." He bowed and she turned to walk back with Isabela to the party.

He stood there watching her walk away, this time wholly convinced she was the most beautiful woman he had ever laid eyes on.

When she was out of his site, he felt his knees go weak, and he caught himself on the wall behind him. He felt like he had been holding his breath since he left the party. The heavy air overwhelmed him, and he pulled at the neck of his uniform. Seven years of his life had led up to that single moment. He knew then that he wasn't going to waste another seven years.

Gathering up what was left of his energy, he pulled the doors opened and entered back into the party. He looked for her around the room, but he couldn't find where she went. He searched for the King, finding him dancing around in the middle of the crowd, with a young woman attached to his hip. Graham rolled his eyes and moved through the hordes of people around him.

"Graham!" He cringed at the King's voice. "Come over here, where have you been? Come dance with a beautiful maiden before they are all gone!" His laugh rattled over the music and Graham glanced around nervously.

"You there, girl. Go dance with him." The sweaty man instructed a young girl near him.

"No I really shouldn't." He shook his head, stepping away as she approached him, but she grabbed his hand pulling him into the center of the crowd. Their feet bounced with the music and Graham almost wished he was having fun. He played along, not wanting to rise suspicion in the King, though he was probably too drunk to notice anything at the moment.

After a second song, Graham pulled himself away from the overly handsy young woman, and gracefully bowed out, leaving the King to his pleasures. He pushed himself back to the outside, observing the crowds of people around him.

Graham searched the crowd as it slowly thinned, signaling a close to the night's ceremonies. The King, still fully inebriated from the amount of wine he had inhaled through the night, sat at his chair as a woman rubbed his shoulders. It made Graham sick to his stomach to know that any woman would want to wait on the King hand and foot. However he guessed the fact he had an unlimited supply of riches made him a bit more attractive to a desperate woman.

"Where is my wife?" The King shouted, angrily throwing himself out of his chair. Graham's body went stiff at the sound of her name coming out of the King's mouth. "Regina!"

"Yes your majesty." Graham saw her come out of the shadows nervously bowing her head when she reached the King. Graham waited and watched from a shadow he had sunk into.

"I should not have to repeat myself when I call you." He grabbed ahold of her arm pulling her close to him. Graham flinched, his anger beginning to boil. "You come when you are called, do you hear me?" He shook her. "Answer me!" He yelled, practically spitting into her face. The few people still lingering in the hall quickly made themselves sparse. Graham tightened his jaw and his fists clenching at what was unfolding in front of him, but he forcefully pushed his body back further into the shadows so as not to draw notice to himself.

"Yes your majesty." Regina half whispered, and it was obvious she was in pain. The King had a firm hold on her arm, almost lifting her from the ground. Despite his less than great build, he was almost twice the size of Regina. If this went on any longer, Graham was going to find himself at the end of a noose, and this Kingdom was going to find itself without a King.

"Good. Now go wait for me in my chambers. I'm not finished with you." The King leaned in close to her, Regina wrenching back to avoid him. The pressure growing inside Graham was at its breaking point.

He pushed Regina away from him and Graham watched her exit out of a door on the other side of the hall. When the King was once again preoccupied by the young blonde standing by his throne, Graham snuck out the door.

He headed down the hallway hoping to catch up with her, and saw her just as she rounded the corner, the end of her dress following close behind her. He hustled around the corner, but by the time he reached it, she was gone. He followed the hall, checking down the next couple dark hallways but it was no use, she was gone. He sighed heavily, and kicked himself. What had he just witnessed? And how long had it been going on? He wanted to tell her she was better than all of this, and she didn't have to live here like another slave to the King.

He painfully settled with returning to his room. The longer he walked the halls the angrier he got, especially as he thought about where Regina was at that moment.

When he shed his uniform, he laid in bed, his eyes plastered to the ceiling. He was not sleeping tonight. Not after what he just saw. His anger was drowning him. He replayed the night in his head, the King, his drunkenness, the women, the way he treated Regina. He couldn't allow her to live like this. No one should have to live like this.


	19. Chapter 19

**Happy Monday! Little bit of Emma back story for you! Enjoy :)**

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**Chapter 19**

The two women stood next to each other, waiting on the other to make the first move. There was smoke billowing from the cottage just ahead of them, telling them that the man they were looking for was home.

"Are you sure this is what you want?" Red asked again, for the last time. Emma didn't know she was going to miss those words so much after this night. It had taken them three days to reach the cottage, and now that they were there, staring at the front door, the only thing Emma could think to do was reach for Red's hand. Their fingers intertwined and Emma pulled Red closer to her. Emma was suddenly glad that Red showed up in the middle of the night to try and talk her out of coming here. But despite her friend's efforts, it was too late to turn back now.

Emma swallowed hard and looked over to Red. Red returned her look and they both took a deep breath before taking the steps up to the front door. Emma pulled her shaking hand up to the door to knock, but before she did, the door swung open and a strong wind whipped them both inside, slamming them to the floor inside.

"What the hell?" Red gasped as she pulled herself off the floor and dusted off her red robe. Emma stood as well, looking around the room. It was surprisingly warm, despite the chill from outside. The fire was glowing in a small fireplace, and there were a few candles lit around the room. The walls were decorated with small trinkets and paintings that reminded Emma of an eerie old oddities store.

Despite the coziness of the house, there was no one inside. Emma took a few steps in and looked around the living area where the fireplace was. There was a rocking chair sitting fairly close to the fire, but it was empty, and so was the couch near the window. Red took the cue to check the other side of the house. She stepped into the kitchen to find only dark wooden walls and an oven with a kettle of water sitting on one of the burners.

"Where is he?" Red asked as she walked into the living room.

"I don't know."

"Well you've been here before, where was he then?" Red crossed her arms around her chest, feeling very uneasy in the house.

"He was here." Emma answered, pointing towards the rocking chair in front of the fireplace.

Suddenly, they both heard a rumble from upstairs. The girls looked at each other and then up the staircase leading to the noise.

"Come on." Emma waved for Red to follow her, nervously stepping up on the first step. It creaked under her boot.

"No, Emma, wait. You don't know what's up there. You know what he is capable of. What if he doesn't know we are here? It could be a trap." She squeezed Emma's arm, holding her back from going any further up the stairs.

"Just stay down here if you want, I'm going up there." Emma yanked her arm away from the brunette and started up the stairs.

"Emma…" Red started. She looked around her and then sprung forward up the stairs following close behind Emma's heels.

When they reached the top, there was a long hallway, with two doors on each side stretching out in front of them. At the end of the hall they could see a light coming out from under the last door on the left. Emma crept up to the door, and she could feel Red's breath down her neck sending a shiver down her spine. She leaned toward the door to listen to whoever was inside.

"Are you just going to stand out there, or are you going to come in dearie?" Emma jumped back from the door when she heard his voice. Her heart was pounding a thousand miles an hour and she instantly felt sick to her stomach. She looked back at Red, who was petrified.

Emma opened the door slowly, taking in the expanse of the room. There were potion bottles everywhere, and a large cauldron in the middle of the room. The man she was looking for stood beyond the cauldron facing a long table on the opposite side of the room..

"Didn't think I would ever see you here again dearie." He turned around and faced them with a huge smile on his face "And you brought a snack?" His voice sounded much too excited and Emma reached back for Red and pulled her close behind her for protection.

"She has nothing to do with this, this is between me and you. I need your help." Emma's voice shook and she could feel her grip tightening around Red's arm.

"Well of course dearie, you wouldn't be here if you didn't need my help. I figured after our last little spell, you would have your fill of me." He took a few steps toward the girls, twitching his fingers around like a snake. Emma stayed quiet, keeping Red behind her as he approached them.

"You seem a little tense dearie. Can I offer you some tea?" He eyed both of the girls creepily.

"No." Emma stated plainly.

"More for me then." He smiled again, and started for the door to the hallway the girls came from. Emma pushed Red out of the way, stepping to the side as he walked by. If Emma knew anything about Rumplestiltskin, it was that he was unpredictable and slimy. She wasn't going to take any chances with their safety.

"Well come on, I don't like to make deals in my workshop. It's bad for business." He disappeared down the hall. Emma followed him, still holding onto Red, both for her own support and because the girl would probably be have fainted if she didn't force her to keep moving.

"Look Rumple, I just need your help." Emma finally spoke when she made it to the bottom of the stairs and found him pouring a cup of tea in the kitchen.

"Yes you already said that, so why don't you stop wasting all of our time and tell me what you want." He hissed.

Emma stood up straighter trying to look more confident than she felt. "I need you to help disguise me as a Prince." She stated.

Rumple looked at her for a minute, sizing her up. "Well why would you want to do that?" He finally asked.

"Does it really matter? Why do you care?" Emma asked, quickly regretting the question.

Rumple's expression quickly turned downward. "Why do I care? Oh, Emma, you of all people should know why I care. I'm sure you remember from our last deal that my payment is steep dearie. And I would hate to go into a bad deal with someone not knowing if their intentions ore completely honorable. You understand."

Emma's head dropped to the floor, and closing her eyes, she pushed back the memory of the first time she made a deal with Rumplestiltskin. It had almost been a year since the last time she was in this house. The King had mysteriously died in the Northern Kingdom and his wife, Regina had just taken power over the entire realm. And needless to say, things were very stressful around the castle, and her mother and father did not have the happiest of memories with each other. At the risk of losing the kingdom, Emma came to Rumple with a simple memory curse. Once enacted, it would be like the two of them would never fight about anything again. It came at a steep price however. A price she would never be able to get back, and that she regretted since the day it was taken from her. Her ability to have a child.

"What does he want?" Red whispered in Emma's ear jolting her from the memory. She grabbed hold of Emma's wrist, seeing that she needed some support. Emma hesitated to answer, knowing she wouldn't like the taste of the words coming from her mouth.

"I do recall the last time we spoke, I required you to sacrifice something. A simple payment for a simple request. A simple forget-me-not spell did just the trick for your feuding parents did it not?" Rumple answered for Emma. Emma looked up and glared at him. He smiled back, un-phased by her stare. Emma could feel her friend's eyes on the back of her head.

"Yes that is true." Emma spoke up swallowing what little pride she still had.

"Yes, that's right. And now, you want me to change you into another person. Why? Perhaps to travel to the Northern Kingdom to compete for the crown?" Rumple giggled taking a step toward Emma.

Emma shot him a glance. "How did you…"

"Oh yes dearie." He interrupted. "I know everything that goes on in this realm." He smiled devilishly. Rumple was a nasty man, Emma knew that, but she was afraid of what his price would be for this task, and she was suddenly afraid that Red had come with her.

Emma stepped back into Red, holding her close. "What do you want?"

"Oh my price is simple dearie. I want something, or should I say someone…" His eyes focused on the woman behind her. "That you love. A life for a life shall we say." He flicked his wrist and smiled. His yellow teeth contrasting his dark green skin, and Emma could hardly look at his face.

"You touch her and I'll kill you." Emma stepped forward toward Rumple, reaching down to pull the knife from her boot.

"So protective are we dearie." He casually walked to the fireplace, turning his back on them.

"Emma, what is going on?" Red gripped Emma's arm, panic slowly growing inside of her.

"I swear on my life Rumplestiltskin, she is not part of this. Take someone else. She doesn't deserve this. I will not take the deal if she is the price." Emma held her position in the living room, her hand struggling to grip the knife in her sweaty palm.

"Oh dearie. You made that choice when you walked through my door. But I guess I could take your dear boyfriend James. He seems like a likely candidate. But I have a feeling we might be needing him later on in this little quest." Before Emma could react, Rumple flicked his wrist and wrapped the woman behind Emma in an overwhelming green smoke. She heard Red scream and could feel her fingers pull away from her jacket.

"NO!" Emma screaming reaching through the smoke to grab her friend but instead found herself sprawled on the couch, Red gone from the room.

Emma's breathing became rapid and tears began filling her eyes. This was not what she wanted, this was not what she came here for. Why did she come here? Why didn't she listen to Red in the first place?

"Where did you take her? Bring her back, or so help me I will slit your throat right now!" Emma screamed lunging toward Rumple. Before she made it to him, she felt herself become weightless, encompassed in the same green smoke that took Red. The pressure in her head was overwhelming and she screamed out in pain. It was too much to bear and she could feel her eyes going dark. She wanted to die, and maybe she was. She let the darkness overcome her, falling deeper into the weightlessness around her.

* * *

When Emma regained her consciousness, she could taste an earthy dryness in her mouth. She spit it out, but it didn't help the taste. She opened her eyes, the sun pierced into her brain, sending shock waves through her temples. She could smell dirt, and lifting her head could see dust billowing around her. She couldn't feel her arms as they moved to pick her off the ground. Her stomach turned inside of her as she used all of her strength to pull herself up.

Her vision blurred and doubled, her body falling over and her jelly arms catching her on a tree. She was sick to her stomach and heaved out what was left from her breakfast.

She looked down at her hands as her memory of what had just happened flooded back to her. Her fingers trembled, and tears clouded her vision.

"What have I done?" She whispered to herself. "Red." Her voice growing. "RUBY!" She screamed out into the air. The trees above her didn't seem to take notice as they swayed back and forth in the breeze.

"Rowland?" Emma heard the deep voice from behind her. She twisted around to see one of her father's guards sitting on a horse above her. "What do you think you are doing?" He asked her.

"James?" Emma whispered, a small feeling of relief building up inside her. She hadn't seen him since she snuck to the barracks the week before. They had been secretly seeing each other for a couple months. He was her father's head of security at the palace, and she didn't want to tell her father about them because she knew he would disapprove, seeing as she was a princess and had to marry a prince to keep the crown.

"Are you okay?" James questioned stepping off his horse. He pulled off his helmet, sweat brimming on his forehead tanned forehead.

"James, oh thank you." She wrapped her arms around him. "You'll never believe what I have been through..."

"Excuse me?" He interrupted her, pushing her away from him. "What are you talking about, soldier?" He asked confused by her casual demeanor and took a step away from her.

"Soldier? James, it's me, Emma? What's wrong with you?" Emma looked at him confused.

"I don't know any Emma's. And if I did, I'm sure they wouldn't look like one of my soldiers."

"What?" Emma looked down at her hands again, and then at her clothes. She didn't realize when she woke up that her clothes had been changed, her black pants transformed into white slacks, her boots changed into a pair of shined black shoes. Her Jacket was navy, trimmed with a golden design. She reached up to feel her long curls, but found nothing but air where her braid used to be.

She ripped her sword from her belt, causing James to jump back away from her, and examined her face in her sword, but what she saw was not her. She had never seen this person before.

"Sir Rowland?" James spoke up, breaking her thoughts.

"Who?" Emma's mind racked for answers. What did Rumple do?

"Sir Rowland? We are going to the palace to present you to the King and Queen." Emma could tell James thought she was crazy. "Are you okay?"

"Um I'm not sure." Emma cleared her throat putting her blade back in her sheath. She looked around her trying to figure out where she was. She looked like they were on the main road that led to her parent's castle. "Um, do the King and Queen have a daughter?"

"The King and Queen do not have any children. Which is why they have instructed me to bring one of my soldiers to represent them in the competitions… wait, why am I telling you this, I just told you this?" James was quickly becoming frustrated.

"No, yes, you did just tell me, I'm sorry, I must have hit my head a little harder than I thought." She looked over her shoulder to see a rider-less horse grazing nearby. "We are headed to the palace to get ready to go to The Enchanted Kingdom for the Royal Competitions. I got it." Emma played off her ignorance to this whole situation, trying to mask her ever changing emotions running through her body. In the last five minutes, she has found out that she never existed, Red is gone to who knows where, and her boyfriend has no idea who she is because Rumple disguised her as an actual soldier.

And now she had to put on a pretty face for her "parents" which at the moment she did not feel capable of doing. She never should have gone to Rumple, and she sure as heck should not have let Ruby come with her. Deep down she blamed herself, knowing what Rumple would have wanted, and letting Ruby come anyway.

She could feel her guilt slowly changing to anger as she mounted her horse. Despite her wanting to tell James everything, like she always had, she kept her words to herself. Allowing them to fume inside her, filling up every empty space she had left in her body. When this was over, Rumple was going to wish he was dead.


	20. Chapter 20

**It's been a nice rainy Wednesday to get some writing done! Hope everyone is doing well! So glad everyone is enjoying this :) It's been so much fun to write!**

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**CHAPTER 20**

When Emma entered the dining hall for lunch, her parents where already sitting at the table enjoying some light-hearted conversation. The door closed hard behind her and Charming stopped mid-sentence and looked in her direction.

"There's our Champion! Rowland please come, sit and enjoy this lovely feast that you have so honorably earned." Charming got up and met Emma half way to the table and laid a heavy hand on her back. "Hope you like roast!" Charming released his grip on Emma and she sat down in her chair, but not before bowing to her mother who nodded in return. Charming walked over and stood behind Snow gently placing his hands on her shoulders giving a slight squeeze. Snow returned his affection by placing her hand on one of his.

"We can't tell you how proud of you were are. You have brought honor to our entire Kingdom." Charming's smile stretched far across his cheeks. He returned to his seat and began filling his plate.

"Thank you, your majesty. It is an honor to be here to represent my Kingdom." Emma returned with a respectable nod towards Charming.

"I'm sure your family will be thrilled to know that you are doing so well. Have you written to them since you arrived?" Snow's voice was so genuine; Emma's heart couldn't help but melt. She wanted to feel bad for all of this, and deep down she really did, but she had wanted this experience so much more. She wanted to prove to them that she could do this, whether they knew it was really her or not.

"No, my lady I have not been able to write to them unfortunately. Through the competition and grounds tours, it seems difficult to find a moment of solidarity to sit down and write."

"Oh my, I'm sure your mother must be so worried. You must write to her tonight. We will be sending our messenger out with a few letters of our own. We will have him make a trip to your quarters and take the letter for you." Snow smiled at Charming who was gazing at her as he chewed. They had so much love for one another. Emma hoped that one day she could find someone who loved her as much as her parents loved each other. It was such a genuine, and untainted love.

"Thank you milady. I will certainly have a letter ready for his arrival." Emma cut into the meat on her plate. It smelled divine and her mouth watered when the juices flowed from the meat. She took a piece and savored every chew. It was delicious.

Emma did not speak much throughout lunch, other than answering a few small questions in between conversations, Charming and Snow mostly talked about issues pertaining to things at home. Emma thought it wise not to seem like she knew too much about them, so she decided to stay quiet.

Emma never thought she could eat so much, but she had proven herself more than once during her time here that she had been selling herself short while she was at home. She must have had three plates worth of the meat, as well as sweet potatoes, fresh green beans, and bread.

"Well gentlemen, I must be off. I will leave you two to talk about the plans for the day. I must meet with the messenger to give him instructions for tonight." Snow dabbed her face with her napkin and rose from her seat. Charming and Emma both rose and bowed as she left the hall.

The silence was unsettling to Emma as she sat at the table alone with her father. She felt like he could see right through her, down to her bones. Her father's voice startled her when he spoke through the silence._  
_

"So, Rowland, we have gotten word that the competition for today will be swordsmanship. Tell me if I am mistaken, but I feel it's safe to assume that with bow skills like you displayed yesterday, your sword fighting skills are very high as well." Charming sat up and leaned on the edge of the table, reaching for his wine glass and taking a sip.

"I am a fair fighter." Emma began. "My father taught me as a child, and he was very skilled. But I could never live up to his reputation." She wasn't lying.

Charming smiled at Rowland's modesty. "Your father sounds like a great man. Did he ever serve under my cavalry?"

"Not exactly." Emma looked down and twiddled her thumbs, hoping to come up with a decent cover excuse. "We hadn't moved to the area at the time you were drafting." _Believable._

"Well my cavalry was sorely lacking I can be sure without his skill. Nevertheless, you seem to have your wits about you. I don't think you'll have any problem handling your sword."

"Thank you Your Majesty." Emma smiled up at Charming and raised her glass to him. Charming did the same and they drank together.

"Now, after examining the competitors yesterday, if you don't mind I would like to give you some strategy for today."

"Of course you're Majesty. I will gladly accept any advice from my King." Emma sat up, ready to take in everything her father had to say. She always looked forward to his lessons, and today was no different, even if he didn't know who she really was.

"Well this fellow with the hook, Jones I believe. To most people his hook would seem to be a disadvantage, but in swordsmanship it will actually enhance his chances slightly. It's an extra weapon, it's small, and he can easily control its path. If I were you I would not get close enough for him to use it. Stay back and force him to use his sword. He won't be as skilled or precise because he only has one hand to hold it with. Next, Sir Frey. He is large, therefore he will be slow. But he is strong, and one blow from him will most likely knock you to the ground. You must stay low and balanced, and you must be quick on your feet. If you do that, his obvious weakness should be easily taken advantage of." Charming took another sip of his wine to wet his growing dry mouth and continued to speak. "Next is Lourde. If you don't mind my crudeness, I feel he will be the easiest of them all. He is weak, and he is prideful." _Pride will always lose a fight. _"Pride will always lose out in a fight. Here's what I propose. Give him a few points, maybe a blow to the arm, one to the chest, and allow him to puff himself up. Make him think this will be an easy win. Then when he is basking in the roar of the crowd, take him by surprise." Charming jolted his arm out like he was wielding a sword and laughed at his own plan. "Poor man, he won't even know what to do with himself." Emma let out a small smile and chuckled. "The last knight is Leonardo." Charming became quiet and rubbed his chin in thought. "Now, he has been a puzzle to me since we arrived. He is so quiet, and he doesn't seem to show much of his weaknesses. He will be the toughest competitor you will face today. If I can be bold enough to assume, from what I can tell from him, he is very practical and structured. He will be very strict in his movements and he will be very accurate. His weakness, is sloppiness. You will need to fight dirty to have a chance against him. I know that sounds bad, but I believe that this will work."

"Thank you sir. I appreciate your help. It is always an honor to gain knowledge and wisdom from someone who has much more experience than I." _Too much?_

"Please Rowland don't think anything of it. I think of you as a son. Unfortunately my wife and I have not be blessed with a child, and this is my chance to pass on some knowledge to another." Charming's face fell, and he looked down at the table. Emma felt heartbroken for him. All of this was her fault. Somehow Rumple's magic made her nonexistent in their world. "I know in my heart that when the time is right we will have a child. I've always wanted a son to carry on my legacy, but Snow and I have not been blessed with one." A smile grew on his face and he looked at Emma. She could see the tears welling in his eyes, and she could feel herself wanting to let it out as well. She had never seen her father cry, and didn't want to. She knew her father would be proud of her no matter what she did, and she knew how much this meant to him. She knew how much he wanted a son. And this was her opportunity to bring him that honor, even if she was his daughter.

Charming cleared his throat and wiped his hands down his jacket, regaining his emotions, then stood. Emma stood as well and folded her hands behind her back, standing at attention.

"I must be off. I will not see you before the competition begins, but I believe that if you follow what I have told you; you will bring much more honor to our Kingdom. You are young, and have so much to learn. Good Luck Sir Rowland." Emma bowed as Charming dismissed himself from the hall. When she heard the door close behind him, she fell down in her seat. She wanted to scream, and cry out through all the emotions running through her body. She wanted to tell them the truth but knew it would hurt them and embarrass them in front of the other Kingdoms. She settled with another few glasses of wine.

When she left the Great Hall, she took her time making it back to her room and figured she had some time to start writing her letter. Snow told her to write a letter to her parents, so that was exactly what she was going to do. She figured if something happened to her, at least they would know the truth. She struggled through her words, not knowing exactly how she wanted to say it. How was she supposed to convince them she was the daughter they never had because of a curse and that she was sorry and she hoped that in the end she would have brought honor to their Kingdom? Not exactly what someone wants to tell their parents every day.

"Looks like things are looking good for you, dearie." Emma froze as the voice screeched through her ears. She whipped around in her chair and saw the scaly man standing in the middle of her room. Her anger hit her like a ton of bricks. The only thing she felt she was capable in that moment was launching herself at him, but she refrained, knowing she was ill equipped against his magic.

"What the hell are you doing here?" She slowly rose, her face tinted red from the growing heat inside of her. How dare he show his face? Here? Now?

"Oh I like to travel around and see how my investments are going. It seems you are doing well." She watched him walk to her dresser and fingered around some trinkets setting on top. He acted like he was strangely comfortable in her presence, like he knew she couldn't touch him, and that made Emma sick.

"You have a lot of nerve showing your face around me." Emma spit through her teeth.

"Why so tense dearie? Cheer up! I gave you what you wanted. And I think we can all agree that you are going to win." He smiled creepily at her, showing his slimy black teeth. His eyes were tinted yellow, like some kind of disease that he probably had. Everything about him reeked of death and decay, no doubt the toll of his dark magic.

"Where is Ruby?" She plainly asked, creeping over to her closet where her sword was leaning on the door.

"She is alive if that's what you want to know." He chuckled, not bothering to look up at her and circling around to where she was sitting when he first appeared into the room. She inched closer to her sword, making sure she didn't turn her back on him.

His words came as a strange relief to Emma. _She is alive._ "What have you done with her?"

"Oh I don't think you should fret over things like that. She's my problem now." He walked over to her vanity and picked up the letter Emma had just written. "Writing to mommy and daddy I see. Or I suppose..." He paused "...they aren't your parents anymore." He opened the letter and began reading it aloud. His voice dug into her chest like a knife.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you dearie." He looked up from the paper as soon as Emma had a grip on her sword. "Remember, I control the future of your little friend. I'd hate for a terrible accident to happen." He snapped his fingers and Emma lost the grip of the sword in her hand. She looked down to find it, but it was gone.

"Look, I don't know why you are here. But unless you are going to tell me how to fix all of this then I suggest you leave." Emma tightened her fists, keeping her distance from the crocodile like man.

He smiled eerily at her. "Fix this? I thought this is what you wanted? Win the competition, have all of the money, rule the world, get the girl." He flicked his hands around his head and raised an eyebrow at her.

Emma remained quiet, her gaze shifting toward the note in his hands.

"Besides, you've had the power to fix this the whole time." He walked over to her bed, admiring the soft bedspread under his hands.

"What are you talking about?" She narrowed her eyes at him.

"Oh yes. Didn't I tell you? All of this can go away. You just have to admit to everyone who you really are. Then all of this…" He waved his hands around his head again. "...will be over. It's up to you dearie." He chuckled.

"What about Ruby?" Emma asked.

"Oh, she'll be free as well. It's your decision. You will win these competitions, I can guarantee that. So would you give up all this, for what you had? Remember why you came, dearie. You could have everything. What will mommy and daddy say when they find out what you did? How will Ruby react when she realizes you sacrificed her? It's you or them, dearie." And with that he snapped his fingers, materializing into a nasty green smoke.

The letter fell to the ground below where he had disappeared, gently conforming to the flat ground beneath it. Emma felt her stomach knot up and she felt like she was going to throw up. She made her way to her bed and slouched down onto it while her emotions bounced around her body smacking into the walls like somone was beating her inside's with a baseball bat.

Was she really this selfish? Did she really believe that this was the answer to all her problems? Rumple said that she would win, and when that happens she would be stuck here, just like she was in her own Kingdom. Is that what she wanted? No. Ruby didn't deserve to suffer for her, and neither did anyone else affected by this competition. All she had to do was admit who she was and this would all be over.


	21. Chapter 21

**I'm not even going to candy coat it, but this chapter gets serious. Like 8,500 words serious. I just couldn't stop. And i felt that if Graham and Regina's back story was going to go out with a bang, this was the way to do it. Personally this is and will be my favorite chapter out of this whole story. So much happens. **

**That being said, this is officially the last of our back stories. YAY! I have caught up their stories up to the present and now it's all downhill from here. Competition number 2 coming up. Just FYI, I'm going to update as much as possible, but i have caught up with where I had previously already written. I have most of the next chapter written but after that I've still got a lot of work to do! Please stick with me! Thank you for all of your support :)**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter 21**

Graham had only been completely enraged twice in his entire life. Years of military service and nothing could have prepared him for the absolute vulgar behavior that he had recently witnessed. He suddenly felt sick to his stomach that so much of his life had been dedicated to serving a monster. A monster of no morals, no respect, no decency to even treat his wife with even an ounce of honor. A cowardice monster.

Night after night, hiding out by the King's quarters, all he heard was the yelling, and arguing, and the screaming coming from between tiny splits in the door. It took everything inside of him not to kick through the wood and wrap his giant hands around the King's neck and watch as his face turned blue and he sucked in his last breath. His body cringed when he heard the common smack of skin against skin, and the heavy thud of a body on the floor.

Tonight, like every other night, Graham had hidden out of site in the dark shadows of the hall, and waited for them to finish, hoping that maybe tonight he would be brave enough to step up and say something to her. He knew she never spent the entire night in the King's room, and more often than not he would stay behind in the shadows and hardheartedly watched her as she slipped out of the King's room and return to her own. Some nights her body was so weak she would nearly fall over if it wasn't for the walls near her. Every bone, every nerve in his body tingled for him to just reach out to her, grab hold of her, scoop her up into his arms and tell her everything was going to be okay as long as she was with him.

Tonight had begun no different than any other. He waited patiently for the voices to calm, and the air to grow heavier in the hall as the silence set in. He winced through the noises of the hits and the shouts, and balled his fists tighter until his muscles could no longer hold a grip.

He snapped from his mind when he heard the recognizable squeal of the King's door echoed through his ears. Regina had let herself out of the room, her face painted in tears. She wiped her face and glanced around her in the darkness to make sure no one was around and then snuck off away down another dark hall. His mouth opened, finally gaining the courage to speak up, but no words came out. Not even a breath escaped from his lips.

"Guard!" Graham snapped up in his shadows, when the voice ripped through him. He turned back to where Regina had exited and saw the King standing in the hallway, his body completely naked. Graham felt his stomach heave and he brought his hand up to his mouth to keep from making a sound.

A single guard approached the King and the departed after getting orders to go fetch one of the servant girls and escort her to his room. Graham decided since he had no chance of meeting up with Regina, he could at least try and save another from having just as unpleasable experience tonight.

Slipping from shadow to shadow he followed closely behind the guard as he twisted his way around the maze of the castle. After a few twists and turns and two long staircases down to the lower levels, Graham realized he had never been to this particular part of the castle before, and figured it must be where the servants live. It was darker and damper than the rest of the castle, water dripping from the ceilings, and dirt falling from the walls. They must have been a few feet underground, underneath the castle.

Graham stopped as the guard up ahead came to a stop in from of a small door. His pounding came with no answer, so he shouted out at the door.

"Open the door!" He shouted continuing to pound on the wood. Dust shook from the hinges and Graham figured if he pounded any harder the door would fall right off the wall.

Finally, a sleepily looking young boy answered the door, quickly followed by a much older woman behind him who shuffled him behind her after realizing the stranger at the door.

"Do you have any idea what time it is? What could you possibly want at this hour?" The older woman boldly asked. In the dim light of the flame next to the door, Graham could see that the woman was very beautiful despite her age. If he didn't know any better, he could probably assume she had been working here longer than he had been alive. Her voice was soft but demanding. He could just make out the newly forming wrinkles around her eyes and the way she protected the boy behind her.

"Out of the way woman." The soldier pushed passed them, knocking the boy to the floor behind the woman. Graham stepped close enough to listen through the open door. The woman followed after the guard inside, shouting and yelling at him to leave at once. The boy on the floor sat up and pulled his legs up into his body, and covering his ears to the shouts. Sadly enough, this was probably a reoccurring event in the room.

Graham stretched his head around the corner allowing the light from the flame to light up his face. The boy looked up from his stoop and cried out noticing him peering from the darkness. Graham held up his hand quickly, showing the boy he would do him no harm and then lifted a single finger up to his lips. The boy stared at him for a moment, deciding whether or not to trust him, but reluctantly nodded and ran back into the room. When the shouts from inside began getting stronger Graham slipped back into his shadow and waited for the guard to emerge.

"Move, girl." A young woman fell through the opening of the door and Graham stepped back further into the darkness.

"You can't do this you pig. You can't take her." The old woman shouted at the back of the guard as he pulled the young girl off the ground from under her shoulder. The girl kicked at the guard hoping to lose his grip but she wasn't strong enough. Suddenly, Graham heard a clang of metal to metal and looked back to the door only to see the boy with a large iron pot in his hand. He couldn't have been more than seven or eight years old, but Graham admired his courage. The guard shouted out from the blow to his foot and after cradling it for a few seconds lunged for the boy, grabbing him by the neck and hoisting him up on the wall.

"Put him down! Stop! He's just a boy!" The older woman shouted, trying to shove the guard from the boy. The boy kicked his legs, choking in the guards grip.

"You watch your place you little shit, or I'll come back and take your mother too." The boy heavily dropped to the floor as the guard let out an evil laughter before turning his attention back to the younger girl.

"Get up." He kicked her and pulled her back up. The old woman was crying bent over the boy on the ground, comforting him from the fall and wiped his tears from his face. When the guard had made his was far enough out of the area, Graham stepped out from his shadows and approached the two people on the ground.

"Are you okay?" His voice came out soft and concerned.

"No. Isabela. He took Isabela!" The woman cried, holding the boy. Graham knelt down in front of them and the woman flinched not knowing what the strange man in front of her was going to do. He pushed his eyebrows together and let his attention fall to the boy.

"Come here, boy." He reached out his hand.

"No, get away!" The woman swatted at him and Graham held up both his hands to help calm her.

"I won't hurt him. I am not a guard." He slowly reached out his hand again, and the boy stood up from his mother's grip. She tried to hold onto him, but he turned back to her and gave her a shy smile, reassuring her it was safe. She let go and protectively watched her son bravely approach the man.

Graham took a hold of his face and bent his neck over to examine the wounds. He looked up back to the woman and gave her a reassuring look. "It will only bruise a little. He will be fine." Her stare was still scared, fearful that she would lose another child tonight.

"Listen to me, boy." He looked into the boys eyes. "Is this your mother?" He asked. The boy turned to look at the woman and then back at Graham, his head bobbing up and down.

"Was that your sister?" Graham asked. The boy shook his head side to side. "I want you to go back inside and take your mother with you. Protect her until I return. Do you understand?" Graham set a hand on the boys shoulder. The boy's piercing blue eyes dug deep into Graham's soul. That look reminded him much of the boy he used to see in his own reflection many, many years ago. The boy looked back at his mother and then back and Graham and shyly nodded in agreement.

"Good boy." Graham moved his hand up to the boy's head and then stood up, reaching out to the boy's mother as an offer to help her off the ground. She looked at him, puzzled by his strange behavior.

"Who are you?" She took his offer and he helped her up from the ground.

"Who is that girl to you?" He asked her, ignoring her question.

"Isabela. She has worked here since she was only twelve years." The woman squeezed her son who had walked back to her side.

"Where are her parents?" Graham continued.

"I don't know. She came alone. I have looked out for her ever since." The woman explained.

"You are an honorable woman. I will see to it that she will come to no harm this evening." Graham felt a hint of a smile inch over his face, but it was gone before he could think any more about it.

He turned to hustle back the way he came, hoping to catch up with the guard before he made it back to the King's room.

"Thank you." Graham stopped before he had gotten too far and turned around toward the sound of the boy's voice. This time Graham did smile. But it was too dark for anyone to see, so he kept it a secret as he turned back down the hallway and began up the first flight of stairs, leaving the boy and his mother to wait for him in the darkness.

He followed the voice of the guard whose shouting echoed through the castle. Graham could tell he was close, so he slowed his pace so as not to make too much noise from his boots on the rocks.

"Move." The voice was much louder now, but he needed to work fast because he was starting to recognize the walls around him. They had to be close to the King's room.

Graham stopped just before rounding a lit corner and peeked around. He spotted the guard and Isabela almost at the end of the hall. When they turned another corner Graham jogged down to the end. He was so close.

Just before he turned down the hall to ambush the guard, Isabela beat him to it by elbowing him in the stomach where his armor didn't cover.

"Ugh!" The guard wrenched over and clawed at the girl as tried to free herself. Graham let it unfold, judging what to do on whether or not she made it out. Unfortunately the guard never lost his grip on her, and instead shifted it from her arm to her hair, pulling her down the rest of the hallway.

Graham looked around for anything to use as a weapon, seeing as he wasn't expecting to be a savior tonight. He found an armored knight uniform in one of the corners near him and luckily it had a long spear in its grasp. He pulled the spear up and out of the hand and shuffled down the hallway. He slowed to almost a crawl when he was within in an arm's length to the guard and kept his body low so he couldn't see him. When they turned down another corner, Graham whipped the spear around knocking the guard in the side of the head. He screamed out in pain as he fell to the ground. He ripped his helmet off and pulled himself up twisting around to see his attacker.

What the hell?" The guard yelled out, blinking his eyes to the pain blurring through his head.

Graham twirled the spear around in his hands, his attention fully on the guard.

"You're going to wish you didn't do that?" The guard's voice became low. "The King will have you head."

"I doubt the King's most highly decorated Captain will be blamed for his lack of luxuries for the night, guard. Now I suggest you take yourself back to your post before I have to do something you will regret." Graham widened his stance and held the spear out in front of him, ready to attack if the guard was so stupid as to try and fight.

The guard hesitated toward Graham, but then quickly second guessed himself, turning on his heels down the closest hallway. Graham relaxed a little and stood from his position. He turned to look for the girl, but while his attention was on the guard she must have run off.

"Isabela?" Graham shouted in a whisper. He walked slowly down the hallway, checking the shadows to make sure she wasn't hiding.

"Isabe…" He felt a heavy thud on the middle of his back. He hunched over a minute taking the pain, before slowly turning around to see the girl standing behind him with a with an empty candle holder tightly gripped in her hand.

He held out his hand, motioning for her to give him the object.

"Who are you?" She half shouted, pulling the object closer to her.

"I'd rather you put down the weapon before we talk." Graham calmly spoke. Thankfully she didn't hit him too hard, and the pain was quickly depleting.

They were at a standstill. To help her feel more comfortable, Graham held up his free hand and then laid the spear he was holding on the ground. She eyed him carefully, judging his every move. When he had stepped away from his spear, he saw her relax a little letting go of the candle holder with one hand.

"I'd rather hold onto it if you don't mind." She moved it back behind her back, and stood up a little straighter. "So, who are you?" She asked again.

"A friend. My men call me Captain Graham. But I answer mostly to Graham." He spoke more casually.

She kept her eyes firmly planted on his, not sure if she could trust him or not.

"How do you know my name?" She asked suspiciously.

"Your caretaker informed me. I assured her I would return you to her unharmed. And…" He paused studying the girl. "I think I remember you from when I arrived. You showed me in if I'm not mistaken."

"You are _that _Captain?" Isabela's eyes widened at the man. She didn't recognize him in the darkness of the hallway.

Graham let out a small laugh through his nose. "Yes I am _that_ Captain."

"What were you doing following us around?" She questioned.

"A simple thank you would suffice." He remarked a little sarcastically. She swallowed hard, a little embarrassed, the hand behind her back casually falling to the side.

"Thank you." She said apologetically.

"You are very welcome. Now, maybe we should take you back to your caretaker before she has a heart attack." He opened up to allow her to head back down to her room.

"Actually, I was already headed out to do my nightly checks before I was torn away." She placed the candle holder on a table near her, convinced Graham did not intend to hurt her.

"Where are you going? Maybe I can escort you. In case another guard attempts to steal you away."

"That would be most generous of your time. My first stop is to the Queen's chambers."

Graham hesitated, feeling a lump forming in his throat.

"Do you tend to the Queen often?" Graham asked her as he turned to follow Isabela.

"Yes, I am her personal servant."

"That's a most demanding job I can only assume." Graham concluded.

"No it is the only thing I really care to do here. She has done more for me than anyone else in my life." Isabela admitted. She laced her fingers together and squeezed her hands, feeling a little odd talking so freely with the man. He did save her life however, so she felt obligated to answer his questions as best she could.

"I'm sure she is grateful for your friendship."

They walked in silence for a while. Graham didn't really know what to tell the girl. He wanted to tell her everything that had happened tonight, but he wasn't really sure how to explain his sneaking about and spying on the King and Queen. Even though he was sure she could be trusted because Regina obviously trusted her, he still wasn't sure if she trusted him.

"How long have you known the Queen?" Graham asked, breaking the silence.

"Since I was thirteen. I have taken care of her ever since."

"I'm sure that has been difficult through all of the…" Graham waved his hand in the air hoping to find the words he was looking for floating above him.

She looked at him puzzled, but by the look on his face she realized what he was talking about. To his surprise she responded quite normally to his comment.

"Yes it has been quite difficult. Especially recently. Things have gotten quite out of hand. I don't know what to do other than just help her. He gets so angry. And I don't want to be hung in the middle of the square for saying the wrong thing." She caught herself after that last sentence. She never thought of herself as someone who talked much. Regina had been her only friend outside of Mrs. Henderson, her caretaker, and the woman's son, Jacob. She felt a little funny opening up so much to this man. But he was easy to talk to despite his more than intimidating stature.

"Maybe someone soon will come along and fix things." Graham put out the idea.

"The only way to fix things would be to get rid of the King." Isabela said casually, unaware that her companion was currently plotting that very thing, and she would shortly be dragged into the plan.

"Well, her room is just around this corner. We should part ways here. I'm sure she is in no condition for extra company." Isabela forced a thin smile up at the man. She noticed the scar running across his face and she felt bad that he seemed to have sacrificed so much for his position, and yet he was so genuine.

"Of course. It was a pleasure escorting you." He took a step back and bowed respectfully to the young girl.

"It was a pleasure being escorted." She bowed in return.

"I will make haste to see that your caretaker knows you are safe." Graham promised.

"Thank you, Sir Graham." Her smile was bigger this time, and she turned away from him into the darkness that took over the hallway between candles.

Graham watched her until his eyes grew heavy. Despite his nightly charades the past few nights, he was usually in bed by now after seeing Regina to her room.

He traced his steps back down to the underground, below the castle, where Isabela had been taken from. He quietly knocked on the door, and it was quickly answered by the young boy. His eyes lit up at the sight of him, but then immediately fell when he didn't see Isabela with him. His mother quickly filled the space behind him, wiping her hands on an apron that was tied around her waist, covering a plain brown dress that hung loosely from her body.

"Isabela? Where is she?" The woman asked, quickly becoming worried that something may have happened.

"She is fine. She told me she was getting ready for her evening duties so I escorted to them. I informed her that I would make sure then news of her well being made it back to you." Graham bowed slightly at the woman and his eyes smiled down at the boy. Before he could react, the boy lunged at him, wrapping his arms around the man's hips.

"Jacob!" The woman called out. The boy let go and smiled up at Graham.

"It's quite alright." Graham reassured her. He leaned down to the boy. "You have been brave tonight." He stood up looking between the two of them. "Make sure he gets an extra piece of bread on his plate in the morning." With that, Graham turned on his heels, happy to be headed back to his room.

As he walked, he became distracted in his thoughts, hoping that Regina was okay with Isabela. She seemed like someone Regina could really rely on, and he hoped one day he could be too. Thoughts of the King flushed back to him as well. Unfortunately thinking about Regina often made him think about the King. He stopped for a moment under a candle lighting up a section of the hallway he was in. He needed to do something. Isabela was right. Anyone around here would be quickly hung in the street if they were to try to intervene with the King. But he wasn't from around here, and as long as he is here, he should be the one to do anything daring. But what exactly that might be, was something he needed to think about.

* * *

"Regina?" Isabela tapped softly on the door to the Queen's room. After a moment of silence she let herself in, quietly closing the door behind her. Regina sat at her vanity, her head sunken in her hands, and her dark hair frayed from her usually perfect braid.

Isabela approached her, laying a hand on her shoulder. They both jumped when Regina twisted around and began thrashing at the pressure on her shoulder.

"Wait, I'm sorry. It's me." Isabela grabbed her and held on, trying to calm the woman. "Regina it's me, you're okay now. It's me." Isabela fought her own tears as the brunette settled down, falling from her chair and sobbing into Isabela's shoulder.

"I can't take it anymore." Regina pleaded through her tears. "I can't…"

"Shhh. I know." Isabela stroked Regina as they sat gripping each other on the floor.

When Regina finally quieted down, she pushed herself away from Isabela, wiping the wetness from her cheeks. Isabela could see the cut under Regina's eye and wiped some of the blood from it with her thumb.

"Here, let me clean that for you." Isabela pushed herself from the floor, and wet a towel in the bowl of water on Regina's vanity. When she sat back down, Regina turned her head, avoiding Isabela's eyes. "I can't clean it if I can't see it." Isabela raised an eyebrow.

With a heavy sigh, Regina turned, but still avoided Isabela's eyes and kept her vision on the floor. She traced the pattern of the rug with her finger, wincing at the pain from under her left eye.

"Why are you here?" Regina managed the words, softly but audible.

"I think that's obvious." Isabela stated as she went back to the bowl to rinse the blood from it.

"That's not what I mean. We've known each other for seven years. And you still haven't told me why you ended up here so long ago." Regina looked up at Isabela whose back was still turned to her.

Isabela hesitated to turn and answer. She had never really talked about her past outside the castle. She was afraid people would laugh at her. In her mind, it really wasn't a big deal, which is why she never felt it was necessary to tell others about it.

"It was no big deal. Just a petty thing." She returned to her seat on the floor in front of Regina reaching to finish wiping her face. Regina stopped her, and looked almost straight through her. Isabela dropped her arm and sighed heavily. "I stole from the King." She admitted

"What did you steal?" Regina asked again.

"Does it really matter?" Isabela reached up to clean Regina's face, but again Regina stopped her. "I just… borrowed some books." Isabela fiddled with her thumbs in her lap. "I was going to bring them back." She mumbled.

Regina's silence made her uncomfortable, the space building around them. Suddenly, Regina let out a small giggle. Isabela looked up confused by Regina's reaction. Regina covered her mouth to cover up her growing smile.

"It's not funny." Isabela pleaded, swinging the wet towel at Regina. Regina dropped her hand, unable to control her laughter. Isabela couldn't imagine what was so funny, but started laughing anyway. They needed this..

"That's it?" Regina questioned as she controlled her fit. "You take a couple books and he makes you his slave for the rest of your life?" Regina wiped the now tears of joy from her face, and took Isabela's hands in hers. "God. I thought I had it bad." She wiped the cold air from her nose.

"Oh please. Don't make my situation any more terrible than yours. I wouldn't have been able to last this long if I was in your position. Plus, I couldn't have asked for a better way to meet my best friend." Isabela looked up at Regina, reaching out and squeezing her shoulder. Their smiles quickly fading.

"Sometimes, I just don't feel strong enough." Regina admitted, pushing a lose strand of hair from her face, and leaning back on her vanity. "Sometimes, I don't even want to come back to my room after we fight. I just want to… just keep running forever away from this place, to go live in the woods and never have to deal with all of this. But I don't know what's holding me back. It's obviously not my relationship with the King. Maybe it's the disappointment from my mother, or the Kingdom, or myself. I just feel like I have an obligation to myself to stay here." Regina stopped her rant, looking back at Isabela. "I'm sorry. I know you don't want to hear my self-loathing."

"No you're right I don't." Isabela stated. Regina's eyes widened at her friends sudden bluntness. Isabela continued before Regina could get too upset. "I don't want to hear your self-loathing because I know you don't deserve it. To tell you the truth, these nights I spend with you are the hardest nights of my life. And every night I leave here, I go sit on this little spot I found up on the roof. And I just sit out there and watch the town sleep. And I just think to myself, how can I be as strong as her?" She looked down at the carpet. "You know I think to myself, Regina can go through this and can get up the next morning and look at herself in the mirror and keep going." Her voiced cracked as she fought the tears. "And I sit there… and I blame myself. I blame myself for standing by you for seven years watching that man beat you, and I can't do anything about it. All I can do is come and bandage the wounds… but I can never change the circumstances." A single tear fell down her cheek, landing on the rug underneath her, darkening its colors in the simple round shape.

"Isabela I'm going to tell you this one thing." Regina started. "And I want you to listen to me, so you understand what I am saying. You are the best thing that has ever happened to me. The only reason I can get up in the morning is because you were there to get me through the night. There is nothing you can do about my situation, and don't you dare blame yourself for the King's decisions. I know what I got myself into." She brought her hand to Isabela's cheek, wiping away another tear that fell from her beautiful brown eyes.

"I'm just so sorry." Isabela closed her eyes and embraced Regina. As they sat there, they cried. Tears of relief and tears of the stresses of the last few years flowed from both young women.

When they had gotten the last of it out, the separated and helped each other up from the floor.

"Before you go, I had a thought." Regina started.

"What is it?" Isabela asked.

"Well, as of now, I have officially claimed the library as my own sanctuary. Which means the King has no power over anything that goes on in there. So how about, between me and you, you go there anytime you like and take any book you want, and keep them as long as you want. Sound like a plan?" Regina smiled placing two hands on each of Isabela's shoulders.

Isabela was speechless. "You're majesty, I don't know what to say!" Isabela wrapped her arms around Regina's neck.

"You don't have to say anything my dear. You just enjoy those books, and tell me about all the adventures you find. Deal?" Regina smiled.

"Yes of course!" Isabela let go of Regina's neck and turned toward the door. "Thank you, Regina."

"Anything for a dear friend." Regina answered back. Isabela shut the door behind her and took in the heavy air of the hallway. The first thing she was going to do in the morning was take a trip to that library. There was so much she needed to catch up on.

* * *

Graham heard the door close from his spot around the corner. He took a step out to see who had exited and saw Isabela turn in his direction. She seemed like she was in good spirits so maybe she would be a in a good mood to hear what he had to say.

When she came around the corner, he reached out grabbing her by the arm. She let out a small screech at the pressure of the heavy hand.

"Shh. I'm sorry. It's me, Graham." He whispered.

"Sir Graham? What are you still doing here?" She asked, stepping back away from him, wrenching her hands trying to calm her still flustered nerves.

"I'm sorry to startle you, I was just wondering about the Queen?" He asked stepping out from the darkness of the corner.

"The Queen? She is… fine." Graham noticed her hesitation.

"Really?" He questioned staring down at her. His scar suddenly made her uncomfortable so she did her best to not make eye contact with him. Even after tonight's activities, she still found him very intimidating.

"Yes. She is." Isabela stated more heavily this time.

"Wait!" Graham reached out for her as she started to walk away. She quickly pulled her arm from his grasp.

"Please, I have some other chores to get to Sir Graham." She was a little taken by his sudden interest in Regina. The few times she had noticed him around, she was beginning to realize that Regina seemed to be his only form of attention.

"Please, I have a proposition." Graham stated.

"And what is it that you propose, Sir Graham." She eyed him suspiciously.

"What if things were different?" He started vaguely. She turned her whole body around to him, almost interested in what he had to say.

"What do you mean?" She didn't want to enclose the distance between them, already knowing what he was capable of doing.

"What if things were different? What if we could get rid of our problem?" He slowly approached her, keeping his voice low.

"We?" She crossed her arms defensively.

"Yes. Don't act like you wouldn't take the chance if it was handed to you to fix this. I know you care for Regina. As do I." He cleared his throat, holding back his emotions. He had never truly admitted that to anyone until now. "What if I knew a way to fix things?"

Isabela thought for a moment, looking up at the man. She bit her lip and looked down the hall toward Regina's room. He was right, she couldn't lie to herself. If she had an opportunity to fix this situation, she wouldn't hesitate.

"What is your plan?" She finally answered with heavy words.

"Well I believe we both are on the same page as to what the problem is." Graham started. He had been trying to figure out a plan for days, but it wasn't until the sudden cross with Isabela did his mind begin to wonder about trying something from the inside. And tonight he was finally going to pull it all together. "Let's say, something unexpected has happened to the problem. He becomes ill let's say because he ate some bad food for breakfast in the morning." Graham waited a moment for her reaction. Her face was blank and he could tell she was searching him for answers..

"So let me get this straight. You want to poison the King?" Isabela said flatly.

Graham flinched at the starkness of her voice. "Uh. Yes." He admitted. "But I need your help to get me what I need from the kitchen. Once you do that, then you do not have to be part of anything else. I will do the rest."

"Why?" Isabela asked again.

Graham was also taken by the sudden change in attitude from the girl. She seemed very proper earlier that night, but she had become strangely serious in the moments he shared with her now.

"Do I really need to answer that? Isn't it obvious?" He shrugged his shoulders.

"I mean, why you? Why now? Where have you been for the past seven years? Suddenly you just show up and after a week you become her savior? Why?" Isabela bombarded him with her questions. She didn't know why she was becoming so defensive all of the sudden. After all, he had done nothing to prove he couldn't be trusted. In fact he had done everything to prove to her that he _could _be trusted. Maybe she was jealous that after seven years of cleaning up the King's mess, this stranger suddenly has an idea that she had thought of a million and one times.

Graham paused for a moment, asking himself the same questions. He had never really thought about why, he just felt compelled besides the obvious reason. Ever since the first time he laid eyes on Regina, he knew that she was going to be part of his life. And for the past seven years, he has been working to make that happen.

He looked right into Isabela's eyes as he spoke. "Where have I been for seven years?" He repeated the question, taking a step toward her, his chest rising. "For the past seven years, I have thought about nothing but that woman in there. For the past seven years I have been battling myself and what I feel about her. The past seven years of my life has led up to this moment when I could prove to Regina that she deserves better. Before this week, I didn't even know she knew who I was. I thought I was going into this blind, after trying to spend the last seven years pushing the thought of her away from me. But I realize now, that it is impossible. The feelings I've had, the effect Regina has on me is something that has ingrained itself into my head. I can't sleep, I can't eat, and I can't stand here anymore and watch this happen. Something has to be done." Graham stopped himself, allowing his words to sink into the girl.

"And what makes you think I trust you enough to help?" She asked. She knew she could trust him, but she wanted to hear it from him.

"Because I love her. And I know you do too. And I know that you and I are the only two people that can do this. Just… please. Help me." Graham pleaded. He had never expressed himself this way before, and the feeling was very foreign, but he swallowed back his pride, knowing that she would need some convincing to help him. After all, killing the King is not something an average person plans every night.

For what seemed like ages, the two of them stood in the darkness of the hallway. Graham's heart echoed through the hollowness of his body while he waited for an answer. He knew she couldn't resist his plan. He knew she wanted to get rid of the King as much as he did. Unlike him, she saw the damage first hand every night.

"Look I know you don't…"

"I'll do it." She interrupted him. Graham blinked, taking in her answer. It hit him like a sudden wall of relief. He took a deep breath, allowing his old worries to melt away.

"Really?"

Isabela looked up at him through her lashes, obviously annoyed by the question.

"Okay, yes, really. Good. Here's what I need from you then." Graham explained everything that he needed Isabela to do in the morning. Everything from what to put in the food, to where she needed to meet him after everything was all said and done. He felt confident that this would work. Poison was a common thing, and so was disguising it as some kind of food poisoning. Very easy to pass off as an accident.

Isabela paused to think. "You really think this will work?" She suddenly became very nervous.

"This will work. I promise. Then all of this will be over." He reassured her with a shy smile. Isabela remained emotionless, hiding her ever growing anxiousness. She and Graham were on the same page about things. Something most definitely needed to happen for this whole situation to change. It just so happens that at this point, drastic times call for drastic measures. She never wanted to see Regina suffer again the way she had for the past seven years. Tomorrow morning all of this would change and life could move on.

* * *

"Graham. I thought I was going to send the National Guard out to find you. I'm starving. Come sit down." The King didn't bother to stand up as Graham walked into the Great Hall. Graham wasn't exactly in a hurry to breakfast this morning. He sat on his bed for at least an hour just playing out all of the possible things that could go wrong. And after what happened last night, and after everything he had seen the past week he had been here, he could hardly stomach being in the same room as the man.

"I apologize your majesty. I seem to have been admiring the view a little too much this morning." Graham sat down next to the King and patiently waited for breakfast to be served. He looked around nervously for Isabela. She said she would be the one to bring them their breakfast to make sure the King got his special plate. He had a short private meeting with her before heading to the Great Hall to make sure they were clear about everything that needed to happen. This wasn't just another morning. In a few short ours, the King would be dead. The plan needed to be executed perfectly.

"Hey!" The King slammed his hand down on the empty table in front of him, causing Graham to jump a little. "Where is my food?" His shout echoed through the hall. Graham swallowed hard, and then looked up when he saw Isabela enter through a side door that led to the kitchen. A single drop of sweat fell down his forehead as he watched Isabela carefully balance the plates in her hands.

"It's so hard to find good help around here, wouldn't you agree Graham. These servants…" The King grabbed a hold of Isabela's arm as she set down his plate in front of him. He pulled her down close to his face, and her eyes fluttered towards Graham who gave her a reassuring glance. He wanted her to know that this was the last morning the King was ever going to hurt any of them ever again. "…they just don't understand that I am in charge. Sometimes you just have to make sure you put them in their place." Isabela flinched as his lips pressed hard against her cheek. Graham's fists were like rocks under the table.

He let go of the girl, and she cradled her arm in her chest. She bowed and her eyes swelled with moisture from the pain and the fact that she was just kissed by the King. He knew that she was fully invested in this plan now. He eyed the plate in front of the King almost wishing he could just shove it down the man's throat so this could be over quickly.

"Now. I wanted to talk to you about a little proposition I have for you, Graham." The King laid a hand on his shoulder.

Graham looked at him puzzled, not having a clue what he could possibly want to talk about. I guess maybe he would have some orders for him to take back to camp with him, but he didn't know why it was so important that it needed to be discussed at breakfast. His impatience grew. He could see Isabela standing in the corner near the door to the kitchen ready to receive orders when given, and also to be able to see the King eat his dirty plate.

"Anything, your majesty." Graham took a sip of his wine.

"Graham, you have been my best asset out on the field. You have won many battles and brought much glory to this Kingdom. I believe it's time for you to have comfort and civility, don't you?" The King began cutting into his plate of meat and eggs and vegetables.

"I'm sorry, I don't believe I follow?" Graham continued the conversation, despite his impatience and his urge to watch the King eat.

"I need someone who can take care of things around here. I need someone who I can trust to be my right hand man. Of course you will have all of the luxuries that I have to offer. Women, a warm bed, as much food as you could stomach. You are a true soldier and you should be able to live like one." Graham was not aware that The King was capable of compliments and honestly didn't think he meant any of them. At least if he did, Graham didn't care because he would be dead soon enough.

"You want me to leave my men and come here?" Graham questioned again, as he watched the King bite a large piece of meat and chew it obnoxiously.

"You're men will be taken care of I promise. I have already sent another Captain to take charge of your cavalry. They will be in good hands, I assure you. You see Graham, I am not really asking. I want you… no… I need you here as the new Captain of my Guard. You will be in charge of security here at the palace. You will escort me to my meetings and my tours and you will make sure nothing happens to me. I can trust you with this?"

Graham couldn't even eat. Here he was, about to kill the same man who was asking him for protection. Was this really happening? He couldn't even think straight as he watched the King scarf down his food, and he almost felt bad for the poor man. Almost.

He looked over the King's shoulder and made eye contact with Isabela. With a slight nod of his head, she disappeared behind the door, locking it behind her.

"This may be the best breakfast I've ever had. Remind me to reward that little servant girl." The King winked at Graham who forced smile. "If you know what I mean." He chuckled.

Graham lost his smile when The King shoved his face into his wine glass, gulping down all that was left.

"Yes, your majesty." Graham stated plainly.

"Well, I must be off. I will send for a guard to bring you your new uniform and I will have a servant take you to your new room. If there is anything you need, Graham, you know where to find me. I will be expecting you in my office first thing this evening to work out the details of your new position." The King stood up and Graham took his time rising from his chair as he casually wiped his face, knowing good and well he didn't eat a single thing.

"I look forward to it." Graham bowed slightly. He watched as the King started toward the door. When Graham saw his step hesitate, he slowly started over in his direction. By the time he got to him, the King was on his knees, wheezing for air, beating his own chest as the pain shot through his body. Graham stood over him, watching as he slowly hunched to the floor coughing, and hacking.

"Graham, help me!" The King wheezed through his suffocation. Graham tried to hide his genuine smile, but it was no use. He had killed a lot of people in his time in the army, but none were as sweet as watching this pig suffer under his feet. Graham knelt down beside him looking him up and down. The King grabbed for Graham's shirt, but he quickly swatted him away.

"I accept your offer." Graham smiled down at him. "It's a shame that this happened to you before I could get into my official position. When a man is not protected, even for a short while, terrible things may happen." He stood up and circled the choking man on the floor. "I wonder how much Regina is going to mourn for you. You treated her like the dirt under your shoes and now she will be treated for exactly what she is… a Queen. You were never there, and now, I _can_ be."

"You… bastard." The King sucked in the little air he could as his windpipe swelled up.

"No!" Graham's voiced echoed through the hall. "You are the bastard. You think you can get away with treating people the way you do? I guess now you realize that there are worse things out there than your breakfast showing up late." Graham shoved the King over on his back with his boot, shoving his heel into his chest. The King struggled under the weight.

"Rot in hell." The King spit on his boot, and then his head fell back hard on the rock floor. His eyes fluttered, and Graham pushed the last of the air from his lungs with his boot.

Graham leaned over him examining his lifeless body. "Yeah, I'll see you there." He turned away from The King's body and headed out the front doors to the hall.

He checked to make sure the coast was clear and turned, heading to the kitchen. Just outside of the kitchen door, he found Isabela impatiently waiting.

"Graham! What took you so long? Is it done?" She grabbed his shirt urging him to answer.

"Yes it worked. He's dead." Graham spoke out of breath.

"Are… are you sure." She looked around nervously, hoping no one would walk by them or over here them.

"I watched him die. He's gone. Forever." Graham wiped another bead of sweat that had formed on her forehead. Isabela suddenly wrapped herself around him. He never thought himself as a big guy, but Isabela was like a child in his arms. He hugged her back.

"Thank you." She whispered into his chest. A servant passed them by and took a second glance in their direction. Graham cleared his throat and pushed Isabela away from him.

"Now we just need to wait till someone finds him. You have my alibi since people are going to wonder where I was when this happened. Do you remember what we talked about?" He looked around, then looked directly at her.

"I ran into you outside after you left breakfast because you were feeling bad. You needed some air." She explained like they had talked about it before.

"Good girl." He squeezed his shoulders. "Now, if I'm supposed to be outside, I better be outside when they find me. You stay here. Don't go in that hall until someone else finds him. I don't want you being accused of being a part of this."

"I won't, I promise." She started toward the kitchen.

"Wait, one more thing." He grabbed her arm. She returned to him. "It's been a pleasure working with you Ms. Isabela." He smiled. Her cheeks grew a bright shade of pink.

"Go! Go." She pushed him away and headed into the kitchen.

Graham made his way to one of the patios that looked out towards the mountains. Never had those mountains looked as beautiful as they did right then. Regina was free. He was now in charge of her protection which meant he would always be by her side. He was exactly where he wanted to be. Who knew one short week would change their lives forever.

* * *

**Crazy right!**

**PS: If you are the person posting as a guest, I have read your comments and questions but I can't respond to you because you are a guest. Sorry. I know you've asked a few questions and I wish I could answer them. **

**PPS: Graham and Isabela though... best tag team ever!**


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